Sibling Rivalry
by TammyDevil666
Summary: Buffy has had a crush on Spike for years. He lives next door and they have always been drawn to each other. The only thing getting in Buffy's way is her older sister. Spuffy!
1. Chapter 1

This just popped into my head out of nowhere and I figured I could do something with it. This is for everyone that has to deal with annoying siblings, younger or older. I know I do. I have to admit that I like how it came out and I hope you guys would like it also. I had fun with this one. There is also much Spuffiness to be had, just gotta be patient with me. Any comments would be appreciated!

**Chapter 1**

"Mom, she's still on the phone. I need to call Willow." Buffy Summers said as she entered the kitchen, where she found her mother making dinner.

"You'll just have to wait until she's done." Joyce Summers replied and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"She's been on for over an hour. She can't keep hogging the line; there are other people in this house." Joyce stopped what she was doing to look at her daughter.

"Buffy, I'm a little busy right now. Why don't you just ask your sister to let you use the phone?" Buffy sighed as she left the kitchen.

"Yeah, that would be like talking to a wall." She mumbled as she walked over to her older sister, who still had the phone to her ear. She was talking about the latest fashions and Buffy could care less. It's not like it was anything important. She was tired of being polite and snatched the phone out of the older girl's hand and put it to her ear, ignoring the glare from her sister. "I'm sure this is a matter of life and death, but she'll have to call you back." Buffy said into the phone as she hung up.

"God, you are such a brat! I was having a very important conversation." Buffy rolled her eyes again at what her sister thought was an important conversation. Sometimes it was hard to believe that they were related.

"I'm sure whatever fashions you were talking about will be out of style by next week. I actually need to use the phone for something school related, but you would know nothing about that." Buffy explained to her.

"Like calling your geek friend is so important." She said as she rolled her eyes and Buffy was about to comment, when Joyce then came out of the kitchen to stop the fighting.

"Harmony, would you take out the trash?" Joyce said and her eldest daughter looked repulsed by that idea.

"Mom, I do not touch disgusting things." She said with a grimace and Buffy couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

"What would you call your boyfriend then?" She stated and Harmony turned a glare on her.

"At least I have a boyfriend." She stated as she then looked back at her mother. "I'm gonna have to take a rain check, mom. I have a date tonight." She said with a squeal as she ran up the stairs. Joyce then looked at Buffy and she knew what that meant.

"I guess I'll be taking the trash out." Buffy said and Joyce gave her a smile.

"Thanks, honey." She replied as she went back into the kitchen. Buffy let out a sigh when her mother was gone. Her life was really unfair sometimes.

* * *

Buffy walked outside with the trash and put it down. She then noticed that she wasn't exactly alone. She looked up to see a very attractive man, with bleach blonde hair and a leather coat. She gave him a smile. "Hey, Spike. What brings you over here?" She wondered and he only shrugged.

"Just getting some fresh air. How are things going, Buffy?" Buffy sighed as she thought about what to tell him.

"Things are as good as they're going to be." She replied and he only nodded, not sure what else to say. Spike moved to Sunnydale from England when he was 14. His dad was the librarian at the high school. They have lived next door to each other for five years now and formed a close friendship, even though he was three years older than her. She was about to say something else, when someone came out of the back door and pushed her out of the way. Buffy glared at her sister, who chose to ignore it.

"Spike, I knew I heard a male voice out here. Did you come by to see me?" Harmony wondered in a sweet voice that made Buffy cringe. Spike just gave her a smile.

"I was just talking to Buffy." He said and the smile fell from her face.

"Why do you constantly talk to her? It's not like she can ever hold an interesting conversation. She's just a kid." Buffy felt like pulling her hair out for that comment. She was 16-years-old and still got treated like a kid. Harmony was only two years older than her.

"I'll just go back inside now." Buffy said as she walked away and she caught the smile on Harmony's face. It was obvious that her older sister had a crush on Spike, even though she had her own boyfriend. Buffy knew that she would never be able to compete with Harmony. She was a Barbie doll basically and all the guys were crazy for her. She figured they only wanted Harmony because she lacked any brain cells and would put out for anyone. She was a senior and one of the most popular girls in school. Buffy got good grades and she was hardly popular. She was attractive, but it wasn't enough. Buffy has liked Spike since she was 12, but he would never notice. He probably only saw her as a kid just like everyone else. Buffy then had a determined look on her face as she walked up the stairs and knocked on her other sister's door. She opened it without even waiting for a reply and noticed her little sister take her headphones off. "Did you do it, Dawn?" She asked and the younger girl gave her a smile.

"It was a piece of cake. You need to give me a challenge next time." Buffy smiled at her sister also.

"I'll keep that in mind." They then heard the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs and Harmony was soon standing in the doorway.

"What are you two losers talking about?" She wondered with raised eyebrows.

"Nothing that your little brain would be able to comprehend." Buffy said and Dawn laughed at that, while Harmony just looked annoyed.

"Whatever, I'm taking a shower." She said as she rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Buffy then gave Dawn another smile.

"Phase one is complete." She said and Dawn returned her older sister's smile.

"This should be fun." She replied as they both waited.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, a few of you were able to guess what I was going to do, but that's all I'm gonna say. Thanks for the reviews for the first chapter, hope you guys like this one!**  
**

**Chapter 2**

"Oh my god! Mom!" Harmony yelled as she ran out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Joyce came out of the kitchen to see what was wrong, while Buffy and Dawn followed after Harmony. Joyce gasped when she saw her eldest daughter. "Look what those freaks did to my hair!" She yelled as she pointed to her now green hair. Buffy and Dawn gave each other a high five as they tried not to laugh. Joyce looked at Harmony and then at her two younger daughters.

"Girls, did you have something to do with this?" She asked them and they both shrugged.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dawn said and Buffy agreed as Harmony turned cold eyes on them.

"This is so your fault! You snuck into the bathroom and messed with my shampoo! Ryan is going to be here soon, I can't let him see me like this!" Harmony yelled as she started to feel tears in her eyes.

"What's the big deal? If you ask me, I think this is an improvement. Don't you think so, Buffy?" Dawn asked and Buffy nodded as she looked at Harmony.

"I hear green is in." She replied as Harmony started to cry and whine about how much she hated her sisters. Joyce patted Harmony on the back and tried to comfort her.

"I'm sure it'll wash out, honey. It's not the end of the world." Harmony turned teary eyes on her mother.

"It might as well be. I have to cancel my date now." She said as she ran back up the stairs and Joyce gave her daughters a stern look. Buffy knew they were in trouble.

"It was just a little joke for all the crap she's put us through. It should come out tomorrow." Buffy said and Joyce crossed her arms over her chest.

"I want you both to go to your rooms and think about what you did. I'll discuss a punishment with you later." They nodded and tried to look guilty as Joyce walked back into the kitchen. Dawn then couldn't keep the smile off of her face anymore as she looked at Buffy.

"Did you see the look on her face?" Dawn said and Buffy smiled also.

"Yeah, that was great." She replied.

"Upstairs, now!" Joyce yelled from the kitchen and they jumped a little.

"Right, going now." Buffy said as they both ran up the stairs and headed to their rooms.

* * *

"I would have given anything to see that." Willow said the next day at school. 

"Yeah, it was pretty funny. She had it coming." Buffy replied and Willow agreed. They headed to their lockers, when they noticed Cordelia Chase walk over to them. She gave them both a smile.

"Hey, I'm having a party this weekend and you're both welcome to come." She said as she handed them invitations. They were both really shocked as they took the invitations from her. Cordelia was the richest and most popular girl in school. She was also Harmony's friend.

"Um, do you have us confused with someone else?" Buffy wondered and Cordelia shook her head.

"You're Harmony's sister, right?" She said and Buffy nodded, even though she hated to admit that. "Then I got the right person. I really hope you guys can make it." She told them as she walked away and started to hand out other invitations. Buffy and Willow watched her go and then looked at each other, both equally confused.

"Okay, did we happen to stumble into some alternate universe?" Buffy said and Willow shrugged.

"I don't know, it seemed like that really happened. Do you think we should go? Cordelia's house is huge, my brother cuts her lawn and he told me about it. She always has the best parties there. I've always wanted to see what one was like." Buffy thought about it and then nodded.

"I guess we could stop by. Mainly because it'll piss Harmony off." Buffy said as they both then headed to class.

* * *

"This is so not happening. I can't believe Cordy invited you. This has to be a pity invite or something. Whatever, just stay out of my way. I still don't want some people to know I'm related to you." Harmony explained when they got home from school and Buffy let out a yawn. Her hair was starting to look like normal again and Buffy was disappointed, but it was fun while it lasted. They were both having this argument outside because Harmony has yet to let her in the house. She had to go on about the party and how Buffy was not to talk to her, like she wanted to anyway. Her face lit up when she noticed Spike walk over to them. Harmony stopped talking long enough to notice him also and a huge smile formed on her face. "Spike, I'm so glad you're here. Would you like to come to Cordy's party this weekend? I know you're not in high school anymore, but it could be fun and she said she wouldn't mind." Harmony said as she batted her eyelashes. Spike then looked at Buffy. 

"Will you be going?" He asked her and she felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of him wanting her to be there. Harmony decided to speak up for her.

"I have to baby-sit her, so my mom's making me bring her along." Buffy really didn't like that comment and she noticed that Spike had a hard look on his face, but he then replaced it with a smile.

"Right, I guess I'll see you both there then." Harmony returned his smile and ran her hand down his arm.

"Yeah, I'll see you there. Maybe you can save me a dance." Spike nodded as he walked away from them. Harmony then turned and walked into the house, without saying anything else to Buffy. She waited for a few seconds and then followed her sister inside.

* * *

Harmony slammed the phone down later that night and walked into the kitchen, where she found her mother and Buffy. "Ryan just broke up with me. I can't believe the jerk had the nerve to dump me over the phone." She told them and Buffy rolled her eyes as Joyce went to comfort her daughter. Harmony pulled away and didn't look like she needed comfort. "He was a loser anyway; I can do so much better. I already have someone else in mind." She said with a smile as she walked out of the kitchen and Buffy had a feeling she knew who that someone was. Could things possibly get any worse? 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Buffy was in her room and looking out the window. She had a nice view of Spike next door washing his car, without a shirt on. She felt bad about watching him, but she figured that it wasn't a big deal if he never found out. "What are you doing?" Buffy pulled away from the window at Harmony's voice.

"Nothing," she said and Harmony wasn't convinced. She walked over to the window and noticed what had Buffy's attention.

"Are you kidding me? You actually have a thing for Spike? You must be crazy if you think he would ever notice you. That's really pathetic, Buffy." Harmony said and Buffy tried not to let her words hurt.

"I wasn't looking at him." Harmony laughed as she shook her head.

"Sure you weren't. If I had that view, I would be looking all day. You're wasting your time, I happen to know that Spike is into me." Buffy really dreaded asking her next question, but she was curious.

"How do you figure that?" Harmony rolled her eyes at how dense her sister could be sometimes.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Megan told me. She said that she overheard Spike talking about me. Her brother works with him. She told me that he said he was crazy about me and wanted to ask me out, but he's not sure how. I figured I would make it easier for him. I plan on making my move at Cordy's party, so you better stay out of my way. You would only get hurt. I mean, it's obvious that Spike has feelings for me. You can tell by the way he looks at me and he's always coming over here. He probably didn't know how to talk to me before because I was so into Ryan. I knew a good thing would come out of him breaking up with me. I'll tell people that I dumped him, of course. I need a real man anyway." She said as she looked back out the window to see Spike stretching. She licked her lips at the sight of his muscles. "Yeah, Spike definitely qualifies." She then turned back to look at the hurt expression on Buffy's face. "Sorry, little sister. You really didn't have a chance anyway." She told her as she left the room. Buffy turned back to the window to see that Spike was no longer there. She sighed as she looked away. Her sister already gets everything, why did she have to get the one guy that Buffy liked?

* * *

"She is such a bitch." Buffy looked up at her sister when she said that. 

"Watch your language, Dawn." She said and Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Come on, you know she is. Harmony thinks she's so perfect. You're way hotter than she is." Buffy gave Dawn a small smile of gratitude.

"At least I can count on you to make me feel better, even if you're lying." Dawn sat down next to Buffy on the bed and could tell that her sister was near tears. She then wrapped her arms around the older girl and tried to give her what little comfort she could.

"It'll be okay, Buffy. Spike wouldn't really fall for her. He has better sense than that." Buffy nodded as she wiped at her eyes.

"I really wish I could believe that. I guess it was stupid to think that he would ever be interested in me. I actually thought he came over here to see me, but it was to see her this whole time. God, I feel so stupid." She said as she buried her head in her hands. Dawn patted her on the back and then had a grin on her face.

"You wanna move on to phase two? Making Harmony's life miserable should cheer you up." Buffy smiled also and then shook her head.

"As tempting as that is, it's probably not a good idea. Mom would be even more pissed at us." Dawn nodded in understanding and continued to rub Buffy's back.

"She'll get what's coming to her, Buffy. I have a feeling this whole thing is gonna blow up in her face." Buffy looked at Dawn in confusion.

"What makes you so sure?" Dawn shrugged as she thought about what to tell her sister.

"I'm usually good at that sort of thing. I may only be 15, but I've been told that I'm very wise beyond my years." Dawn said and Buffy laughed this time.

"Yeah, you're right about that. Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Dawny. I'm glad someone is on my side." Buffy told her.

"I'd have to be crazy to take Harmony's side. I still think she's adopted." Buffy nodded in agreement.

"You're not alone in that." They both then just sat there in silence.

* * *

Buffy walked outside after dinner to get away from Harmony. She was on the phone talking to another one of her ditzy friends about how she plans on seducing Spike. It wasn't something Buffy really cared to hear. She wrapped her arms around herself and realized that it was colder than she thought. She was about to walk back inside to grab a jacket, when she noticed Spike walk over to her. He gave her a smile as he handed her the leather jacket he was holding. "Saw you out here, figured you could use this." She smiled in return as she took the jacket from him and put it on. She was surprised by how well it fit her; it was like he bought it for her. She quickly banished that thought and realized that it was crazy to think about. "So, why are you out here on such a cold night?" He asked her and she shrugged. 

"It's colder inside the house." She said referring to Harmony more than the actual cold, but he didn't need to know that. "I just needed to get out for a bit." Spike nodded in understanding and stood next to her. They were both silent as they looked up at the sky. They then noticed a shooting star and Buffy was mesmerized by it. "Cool, I've never seen one before." She said as she continued to look at the sky.

"You should make a wish." He practically whispered in her ear and Buffy felt herself shiver. She only shook her head as she looked at him.

"What would be the point? I never get what I want." Spike moved closer to her.

"Well, there's a first time for everything." He told her and Buffy felt nervous at his close presence.

"Did you make a wish?" She asked and he gave her a smile.

"I don't need to." He replied as he started to walk away.

"Wait, you forgot your jacket." She said and was about to take it off, until Spike stopped her with his voice.

"You keep it. It looks better on you anyway." He said as he headed back to his house. Buffy watched him go and had to smile at what he said. Things were starting to look a little better.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Harmony and Buffy walked into Cordelia's house the night of her party and looked around. Willow couldn't go because she suddenly caught a cold and had to stay home. Buffy realized that she really didn't want to be there, but she decided to make the best of it. "Okay, there's Cordy. I'm gonna go talk to her. You are not to talk to me when I'm around my friends, got that?" Harmony told Buffy and she rolled her eyes.

"Believe me, there's no chance of that happening." She replied and Harmony nodded as she walked away from Buffy, without saying anything else. Buffy looked around at all the couples dancing and she really didn't know anyone. "What am I doing here?" She said to herself as she walked around and tried to stay out of everyone's way. She was looking around to see if Spike was there, but she wasn't having any luck. She then noticed that Cordelia was now talking to two guys and wondered where Harmony was. She only shrugged and decided to go outside for some fresh air. She stopped suddenly when she noticed that Harmony was making out with Spike. Buffy felt tears in her eyes as she ran back into the house and up the stairs. She found an empty room and closed the door. She leaned her head against the door and finally let the tears fall.

* * *

"Harmony, what are you doing?" Spike said as he pushed her away. 

"I'm giving you what you want. I know how you feel about me, Spikey. We can get out of here and go somewhere a little more private." She said in a seductive tone and Spike shook his head.

"I think you have the wrong idea. Is your sister here?" Harmony looked angry at that question.

"Why does that matter? She's probably inside somewhere causing trouble. Let's just forget about the brat and get back to what we were doing." She said as she ran her hands over his chest and he stepped away from her.

"I have to go." He said as he ran by Harmony and headed into the house. He had a girl to find.

* * *

Buffy was now sitting on the bed, with her face buried in her hands. She didn't know how she was going to face Harmony now. She only knew that she felt sick with the thought of the two of them together. She looked up when she heard someone knock on the door. "It's occupied!" She yelled and hoped they would go away. She had no such luck when someone opened the door and walked inside. She was surprised when she saw that it was Spike. He gave her a smile and closed the door behind him. 

"I had a feeling I would find you up here. This is where I would be if I wanted to get away." She crossed her arms over her chest and suddenly felt cold.

"What are you doing in here? I figured you would be somewhere with Harmony." Spike raised his eyebrows and moved closer to her.

"Why would I be anywhere with Harmony?" He wondered and Buffy tried not to cry again.

"I saw you two outside. You looked pretty cozy to me." Spike shut his eyes tight when he realized that she saw them. He then opened his eyes to see the hurt on her face. He sat down next to her on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"She kissed me when I came here. I didn't have much of a warning. I stopped her and I'm sure she knows that it won't be happening again." Buffy looked confused now.

"Why did you stop? I thought you liked her." She said and Spike was trying not to laugh.

"What gave you that idea?" Buffy shrugged and looked away from him.

"Harmony told me that you did. She said her friend overheard you saying how much you wanted her." Spike did laugh this time and Buffy looked at him in confusion.

"I think I know what conversation was overheard. Her friend got it wrong, love. I wasn't talking about Harmony." He suddenly looked nervous before he said the rest. "I was talking about this other girl and I guess she got the wrong idea. I didn't mention any names; just that she had blonde hair." Buffy nodded and looked away again. She was relieved knowing that he wasn't interested in Harmony, but there was still someone else that he liked. She let out a sigh and Spike looked at her in concern. "You alright?" He wondered and she gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just really wishing that I wasn't here right now." Spike agreed and then grabbed her hand, pulling her off of the bed. She raised her eyebrows and he smiled at her.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He told her and she nodded as she let him pull her out of the room.

* * *

They were walking along the beach an hour later because it was a favorite spot for both of them. They managed to leave the party without anyone noticing. Buffy figured that Harmony wouldn't even miss her. They stopped to stare out at the water and Buffy took a deep breath. "I love the ocean. I always come here at night when I know hardly anyone would be around. It's always so beautiful at night." Buffy said and Spike agreed as he looked at her. He took a moment to stare at her, while she was entranced by the waves crashing in the ocean. He had his chance to tell her how he felt when they were at the party, but he chickened out. Instead making her believe that he was interested in someone else, but he couldn't believe that she would ever think that he was interested in Harmony. Spike could hardly stand the bint and he didn't like the way she treated Buffy. The girl deserved better than that. Buffy looked away from the ocean to catch him staring at her. She felt her breath catch in her throat at his intense expression. "What are you thinking about?" She wondered and he then realized that he had enough. It was time to tell her the truth, most of it anyway. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and gave her a smile. 

"You, Buffy. I'm always thinking about you." He told her and Buffy was definitely shocked at that statement.


	5. Chapter 5

I think I revealed in the beginning that Spike was three years older than Buffy, so that would make him only 19. I didn't want him to be too much older than her. Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad you guys like it so far!

**Chapter 5**

"What?" Buffy finally said after a minute of silence.

"I said that I was thinking about you. Why do you look so surprised?" He wondered and she shook her head.

"I just wasn't expecting that. Why would you be thinking about me? I mean, I'm definitely nothing special." Spike caressed her cheek and looked into her eyes.

"You're very special, Buffy. I have always seen it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, alright?" Buffy nodded and still couldn't believe everything he was saying.

"I never thought you noticed me." She told him and he gave her a small smile.

"I thought I was being obvious. I'm always going to your house. I only went to that party because I knew you would be there. I thought you knew that I liked you." Buffy shook her head and felt embarrassed.

"I usually don't catch things like that. I'm not exactly used to it. I've had a crush on you for a while now; I never believed you would ever have feelings for me." Spike grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Well, now you know. So, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?" Buffy smiled and still couldn't believe that this was happening.

"I would love to." He then brought her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss.

"It's a date then. I'll pick you up at 7:30." Buffy nodded and couldn't seem to keep the smile off of her face.

"Yeah, it's a date." He nodded also and they were silent after that. Buffy had an even bigger smile on her face when she thought about her sister. Yeah, Harmony was going to love this.

* * *

They got back to her house a little while later and Spike was finding it hard to let her hand go. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?" He said and she nodded. 

"Right, unless you change your mind at the last minute. You could just stop by to let me know, since you live next door and all. You wouldn't even have to use the phone." He stopped her rambling by placing his finger to her lips.

"I won't be changing my mind. I'll be here tomorrow." He told her and she smiled this time. He then did something completely unexpected and leaned closer to her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. It only lasted a second, but Buffy has never felt anything like it. She touched her lips when he walked away and had to force herself not to let out a squeal.

* * *

"He kissed you? You are so lucky." Dawn said after Buffy told her what happened. 

"It was just a peck on the lips." She replied and Dawn shook her head.

"His lips still touched yours. I'm so jealous of you right now. Oh, can I be around when he picks you up tomorrow? I would give anything to see the look on Harmony's face." Buffy smiled at her sister's excitement.

"I thought you were going out tomorrow night." Buffy said and Dawn frowned suddenly.

"Oh, I forgot. You'll take pictures, right?" Buffy rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Sure, Dawn. I'll do that." She told her and Dawn was soon smiling again.

"And you were worried that he was interested in Harmony. I so knew he had a thing for you. You'll be the envy of every girl in school. All of my friends like Spike, but you're the only one that he has showed any interest in. Can I just say again how lucky you are?" Buffy blushed at the comment and realized that Dawn was right. For the first time in her life, she actually did feel lucky. That quickly faded when Harmony decided to make her presence known.

"Jeez, thanks for letting me know that you were leaving." She said and Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't know you cared, Harmony." Buffy replied and Harmony rolled her eyes.

"Please, I only don't wanna get in trouble with mom. I was too busy looking around for Spike anyway. I don't even know where he went. Did you see him?" She asked and Buffy shook her head.

"No, didn't see him." She said and Harmony let out a sigh.

"Well, it's obvious that he's playing hard to get. Cordy told me that she saw him leaving with some girl, but that has to be a mistake. Spike is clearly interested in me." Buffy and Dawn exchanged looks before turning back to Harmony.

"Did she see what the girl looked like?" Buffy asked and Harmony shook her head.

"She didn't get a good look. Oh well, I'm sure it was no one important. Why am I even talking to you?" She said as she walked away and headed to her room. Buffy and Dawn started to laugh when she was gone. Yeah, this was going to be good.

* * *

Buffy was waiting for Spike to pick her up the next night. It was hard for her to keep a straight face around Harmony. She finally heard a knock on the door and was about to answer it, when Harmony beat her to it. She had a huge smile on her face when she saw Spike standing there. "Spike, what are you doing here? Did you come by to talk to me? You felt bad about ditching me at the party, didn't you? It's so sweet of you to apologize." Spike rubbed the back of his neck and looked like he didn't know what to say. Buffy decided to help him out as she stepped closer to him. 

"Actually, he's here to see me. We have a date tonight." She said and Harmony's jaw practically dropped at that.

"That's crazy, you expect for me to believe that?" Buffy shrugged and then looked at Spike. He caught her look and nodded as he turned his gaze back on Harmony.

"It's true, Harmony." He said as he put his arm around Buffy. "We're going out now." Buffy smiled and was pleased at the look she saw on her sister's face.

"Don't wait up." Buffy said as she walked away with Spike, leaving Harmony to stare after them and wonder what just happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I have never seen her look so shocked before. Would you think I was a terrible person if I said that I enjoyed it?" Buffy wondered as she walked with Spike. He only smiled and shook his head.

"You could never be a terrible person. I don't mean to be rude, but your sister deserved it after the way she's been treating you." Buffy smiled this time and they continued the rest of the walk in silence.

* * *

They arrived at the Bronze a little while later and sat down at a table. This was the first time that Buffy has ever been out with a guy and she really hoped that she wouldn't screw it up. She hardly did the whole dating thing, but she was learning to like it. They were trying to talk over the music, when a sexy brunette walked over to them. She had long, dark hair and was wearing an outfit that left nothing to the imagination. "Hey, Spike. Didn't think you would be showing up tonight." She said and Spike turned his gaze on her. She was practically thrusting her breasts in his face, but he didn't seem to notice. 

"I needed a break. Buffy, this is Kelly. She goes to UC Sunnydale with me." He told Buffy and she only gave the woman a small smile. Kelly didn't seem that interested and looked Buffy up and down. She then let a fake smile form on her face.

"You are just too cute. What college do you go to, sweetie?" She said and Buffy felt a little embarrassed as she answered.

"I'm still in high school." She replied and Kelly rolled her eyes.

"Of course you are." She said with distaste as she looked back at Spike. "Are you babysitting now? That's really sweet. Maybe when you ditch the kid, we can have some fun." She said seductively as she walked away, swaying her hips back and forth. Buffy suddenly felt cold as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey, don't listen to her. That's just the way she is, I don't even pay attention to it." He told her and she nodded, even though she still felt uncomfortable. He then took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. "Would you like to dance?" He asked her and she was relieved for the distraction as she stood up with him. He pulled her on the dance floor and then wrapped his arms around her waist. She wrapped hers around his neck and didn't look away from his gaze.

"Does this feel weird to you?" She wondered and Spike shook his head.

"No, this feels very right. It feels like you were meant to be in my arms. Don't listen to what anyone says, Buffy. The only thing that matters is us, okay?" He told her and Buffy felt better as she nodded. She then rested her head on his chest as they continued their dance.

* * *

"How come you don't live in a dorm?" Buffy asked later that night. They were now sitting in the Espresso Pump because they both had cravings for a cappuccino. 

"I guess I'm not ready to leave my father alone. I'm all he has since my mum passed away. We may not always get along, but there are some good things about still living at home. Like having you right next door." He said and caused her to blush. He always found it adorable when she did that.

"So, you've really been coming by to see me?" Spike nodded as he took her hand in his.

"I don't know when I started to have feelings for you, but I know that it's not something I've ever felt before. This is all new to me; just like I'm sure it is to you." Buffy nodded and waited for him to continue. "Buffy, all I know is that I can't stop thinking about you. I don't care about the age or the fact that you're still in high school. That doesn't matter to me; I mean 3 years is hardly much of a difference. You have always seemed so much older anyway. You are truly an amazing woman, I have always thought that." He finished and Buffy could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"You called me a woman." She said with awe in her voice and Spike gave her a sweet smile.

"Because that's what I see." Buffy smiled in return and still couldn't believe that this was happening to her. She was grateful that Spike saw her as a woman and not a little girl like everyone else. He then surprised her again by leaning closer to her. She took a deep breath as his lips met hers in a soft kiss. She kissed him back for what felt like forever, it was definitely more than a peck. He pulled away when they both needed to breathe and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You wanna get out of here?" He asked and all she could do was nod. She was finding it hard to speak at the moment.

* * *

They went to Spike's house because Buffy didn't feel like going home yet and his father was out of town. They were busy making out on the couch, when Buffy felt Spike's hand move under her shirt and caress her back. She then pulled away and felt herself blush under his intense stare. "You okay?" He wondered and she thought about what to tell him. 

"Yeah, I just needed a breather." She said and he nodded in understanding.

"Sorry, I'm moving too fast." He told her and she shook her head.

"You're not; I'm just really new at this. I've never even kissed anyone before you." Spike raised his eyebrows; he didn't realize that was her first kiss. "I don't have any experience and I know that you do. So, I would understand if you didn't want to do this anymore. If you would rather deal with someone with more experience." Spike quieted her with a kiss and she was surprised as he pulled away.

"I want you, Buffy. Believe me, I love that you're innocent. To be honest, I don't have much experience either." Buffy was really surprised now.

"You don't? I always saw you with a lot of girls in school." Spike nodded and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I've dated, but it was never anything serious. I meant it when I said this was all new to me. You're not alone, Buffy." She felt really relieved to hear that and then gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She smiled at him when she pulled away.

"We can learn together then." She told him and he agreed as he caressed her cheek. They got back to their make out session and nothing else seemed to matter, until she had to go home to face the wrath of Harmony.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Buffy's arm was grabbed in a tight grip the second she walked into her house. She was pulled upstairs and into her room, the door closing behind her. She was soon face to face with a very angry Harmony. "What the hell is going on? Is this some sort of joke? There is no way that Spike would ever want to date you. That's just insane!" She exclaimed and Buffy rolled her eyes. She saw this coming.

"It's not a joke. We really like each other and you should just get over it. You could get anyone you want, Harmony. Guys seem to like you, for some odd reason." Buffy said and Harmony crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't want just anyone. I want Spike and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you get in my way." Buffy tried not to laugh at that statement.

"Yeah, you do that. If you don't mind, I would like to go to bed now." Harmony glared at her sister and Buffy was actually afraid of the look she was giving her.

"This is so not over, little sister." She spat as she opened the door and walked out of the room, slamming it behind her. Buffy let out the breath she was holding and sat on her bed. She smiled as she thought about Spike and all thoughts of Harmony left her head.

* * *

"I can't believe that my lame sister is with a hottie like Spike. What the hell could he see in her?" Harmony said for the millionth time. 

"She's smart, cute, pretty. I could go on. It's not crazy for a guy to be into her. Your sister's really not that bad, Harm." Harmony stared at her friend in shock.

"Cordy, you're supposed to be my friend here. How could you side with her?" Cordelia rolled her eyes and really had enough of the conversation.

"I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying that you're always so hard on her. You should find another guy and forget about Spike. He's not interested in you, deal with it." Harmony couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm not just gonna deal with it. Something is seriously wrong here. I'm going to find out what it is. I refuse to believe that Spike could actually like her." Cordelia rolled her eyes again as she stood up.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. See you later." She said as she walked out of the cafeteria, leaving Harmony to stare after her in shock.

* * *

"I really wish I could have been here. I would have loved to see the look on Harmony's face. She needed to be bitch slapped by some reality." Dawn said and Buffy had to smile at her little sister. 

"It was definitely a night I'll never forget. I'm not going to let Harmony ruin it for me." Buffy stated and Dawn agreed.

"So, how good of a kisser is he?" Buffy blushed at Dawn's question and avoided her gaze. "That good, huh?" She nodded and couldn't seem to form any words at the moment. "Connor's pretty great, too. He can do amazing things with his tongue." Buffy looked grossed out now.

"Dawn, I don't need to be hearing about that. You shouldn't be doing that." Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Please, I'm only a year younger than you. And I was only talking about kissing, where's your mind?" Buffy shrugged and didn't know what else to say. Dawn has been dating Connor for over a year now and she has gotten more action than Buffy ever has. She really hoped that Dawn was only talking about kissing. She couldn't think of her little sister already having sex. She knew that Harmony wasn't a virgin and Buffy felt so stupid sometimes that she was the only one that has hardly ever done anything. She was broken out of her reverie when Harmony barged into the room, with a scowl on her face. Buffy was surprised that the look was directed at Dawn and not her.

"I am going to kill you!" Harmony yelled as she ran towards Dawn, causing her to jump off of the bed and head in the other direction. Buffy grabbed Dawn's arm when she ran by her and pulled her over to her side.

"What are you doing?" Buffy said and Harmony then turned a glare on her.

"She ruined my favorite sweater." Harmony stated as she held the sweater in her hands and Buffy noticed that it had a huge rip in it. "I was going to wear it to the Bronze tonight. I'm sick of you two brats always messing with my stuff." Buffy took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I'm sure it was an accident." She said and Dawn nodded as she tried not to smile.

"This was so not an accident. I'm going to make you pay for this." She said as she grabbed Dawn's arm and Buffy pulled the younger girl away.

"Leave her alone, Harmony. You have plenty of sweaters, wear something else." Harmony glared at both of them before throwing her hands in the air.

"You have both ruined my life!" She yelled as she ran out of the room.

"Feeling's mutual!" Dawn yelled after her and Buffy closed the door. She then turned to look at Dawn.

"Was it an accident?" She asked and Dawn tried to look innocent.

"Of course it was an accident. I would never do anything like that on purpose." She said as she touched her heart and Buffy had to smile.

"You're a terrible liar." She replied as she sat back on her bed and Dawn did the same.

"I could never get anything by you. That sweater was so ugly, it had to go." She said and they both couldn't hold it in anymore as they burst out laughing. Harmony may have been a major pain, but it was always fun to torment her.

* * *

Harmony was pacing in her room as she tried to think of something to do. She really hated her sisters sometimes and she wished she could get them back for all the pain that they have caused her. She couldn't seem to bother with Dawn at the moment. Buffy was the one dating the guy that should be hers, she had to find a way to stop that. She then smiled as a plan formed in her head. She went to her phone and dialed a familiar number. "Hey, it's me." Harmony said when the person picked up on the other end. "I need your help with something." She talked for a bit and then hung up the phone when she was done. She smiled again as she thought about the conversation she had. Buffy would never know what hit her. 


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews. I'll be going to Georgia tomorrow and won't be back until Saturday night, so you guys will have to wait a little longer for the next chapter. I'm not sure if I would be able to update there. Well, I hope you guys like this one!

**Chapter 8**

Buffy walked into the apartment with Spike. It was a few weeks later and they have grown very close. She smiled at the dark haired man that greeted them. "It's good to see you, Spike. Thought you would have forgotten about me. You really need to consider moving in with me if you're not living in a dorm. I could use a roommate." He told him.

"I'll keep that in mind, mate. Sorry I haven't been by lately. I've just been a bit busy." He said and the guy smiled as he looked at Buffy.

"I can see that. My name's Xander." He said as he held his hand out and she shook it.

"Buffy," she replied and Xander raised his eyebrows as they dropped hands.

"So, this is Buffy?" He wondered as he looked back at Spike. "I definitely approve." He said and Spike smiled at his friend.

"I'm sure you do." Xander ushered them into the apartment and they all sat down on the couch. They ate and Buffy got to know Xander better. He seemed like a decent guy and he loved to make jokes. She didn't always get them, but she would laugh anyway. It meant a lot to Buffy that Spike wanted her to meet his friends. That meant that he wasn't embarrassed to be with her. She still had a lot of insecurities to work through. She excused herself to go to the bathroom after a little while and Xander looked at Spike when she was gone.

"I like her, man. She's a sweet girl. I'm surprised you would go with someone so young though. Not that there's anything wrong with that." Spike sighed as he looked at his friend.

"I don't care about that. Buffy's different than the other girls I've been involved with. This one is really special and I wouldn't give her up for anything in the world." Spike explained and Xander smiled as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Sounds like you're in love." He said with his mouth full and then grew surprised when Spike didn't answer. "Wait, you're in love with her? I was only kidding about that." Spike shrugged and looked away, when he then noticed that Buffy was standing behind him. The look on her face proved that she heard what they were talking about. She then ran out of the apartment and Spike let out the breath he was holding.

"Bloody hell," he said as he looked at Xander. "Thanks for that, mate." He told him as he took off after Buffy. He really hoped that he didn't scare her away for good. He saw her walking down the street and ran to catch up with her. "Buffy, wait!" He exclaimed as he grabbed her arm and made her stop. He was confused at the look he saw on her face. "I can explain." He let her arm go and she took a step back.

"Explain what? Is what he said true? You love me?" Spike sighed and wondered how he could get out of this one. He figured that telling the truth would be the best start.

"I don't know when it happened, but it's true. I just wasn't planning on you finding out like that." Buffy didn't know what to think as she took another step away from him.

"You do know that's crazy, right? Spike, we've only been dating for a few weeks. I know that we've known each other for years, but that's not the point. How can you be in love with someone after such a short time?" She explained and he thought about what to tell her.

"It has been known to happen before. It happened with my parents, Buffy. My dad knew that he loved my mum from the first moment he saw her. I'm not saying that happened with me, but I know that I feel it now." Buffy ran her fingers through her hair and looked into his eyes. She took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"I really care about you, but this is all happening so fast. I never expected any of this, Spike. I'm only 16 and I've never dealt with love before. I wouldn't even know how to deal with it. I just think I need some time to think about everything." She was about to walk away, when Spike grabbed her hand and turned her to look at him.

"Please tell me you're not ending this, Buffy. I can't lose you now. If you don't want me to love you, then I'll try not to. It won't be easy, but I'll do what you want." He told her and Buffy shook her head.

"That's not what I want and I'm not ending anything. I just need to be alone right now and figure out what I feel. We'll talk later, okay?" She said and he nodded as he let her hand go.

"Yeah, take all the time you need. You know where to find me." He stated and she nodded also as she placed a kiss on his cheek. She then turned and walked away, leaving Spike to stare after her and hope that he didn't just ruin everything.

* * *

"He actually said he loved you?" Willow asked Buffy later that night as they were both sitting in her room. 

"He didn't say the words exactly, but he feels it. I think I could have reacted a little better." She said and Willow shook her head.

"That's a big deal, Buffy. I would have freaked if I were you. You were right to spend some time apart." Buffy sighed and really wished she could believe that.

"I don't think it was the right thing. I think...I think I do love him. I never expected any of this to happen so soon. I've never been in love before, but I'm sure that's what this is. No one makes me feel the way he does, Will. He treats me like I'm the only person in the world. I don't think there could ever be anyone else for me." Willow smiled and was happy that her best friend found someone.

"Are you going to tell him?" She wondered and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to talk to him tomorrow. This whole spending time alone thing was stupid. I can hardly go one day without seeing him." She explained and Willow had to smile again.

"Well, I would say that was love." Buffy smiled also and then grew nervous when she thought about telling Spike. There was hardly any pressure since she already knew that he loved her, but she had a hard time expressing her feelings. Buffy has never been in this position before and she wasn't sure what to do. The only thing she knew was that she loved Spike, nothing else seemed to matter.


	9. Chapter 9

Well, it looks like I was able to get this chapter in. I decided to put it in now because I really didn't wanna wait until the weekend. I apologize if this chapter sucks. I'm really tired right now, but I'll just say that the ending is nothing to worry about. You guys will just have to stick with me. I hope everyone has a good holiday!

**Chapter 9**

"Why do you need my help with this? I have more important things to do." Harmony rolled her eyes.

"You owe me, Ryan. I know why you broke up with me. I know all about you and Amy, so the least you could do is help me." She said and Ryan let out a sigh. He didn't even know why he ever wasted time with the blonde. He basically only wanted her for her popularity, but he could care less about that now. He would help her out this one time and then really be done with her. "Good, there's the brat now. You have to keep her distracted, until I can get Spike here." Ryan rolled his eyes also as he looked at Harmony.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He told her before he headed to where Buffy was. Harmony knew that she always went to the park on Saturdays. She smiled as she watched Ryan walk away and then pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Spike's number and waited for him to answer. She smiled again when his sexy voice spoke on the other line.

"Spike, it's Harmony. You have to get to the park, something's wrong with Buffy." She said as she tried to sound worried and Spike didn't hesitate before saying that he would be right there. She disconnected the call and watched as Ryan talked to her sister. Things were about to get very interesting.

* * *

"I've always been into you, Buffy. That's why it never worked out with your sister. I need a woman that actually has a brain." Buffy was confused as Ryan talked to her. She never liked him and she always thought that he never liked her; something really weird was going on. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me." He said and Buffy raised her eyebrows. 

"I'm really flattered and a little confused, but I already have a boyfriend." Buffy told him as she thought about Spike. She hasn't had a chance to talk to him yet since he expressed his feelings to her. Ryan laughed and she was confused again.

"You mean Spike? He's no good for you, Buffy. I know all about him. He's a player; he uses girls and then tosses them. As soon as he sleeps with you, he won't want anything to do with you anymore. I knew a girl that he went with, he left her heartbroken. She slept with him and he didn't even stick around the next morning. You're better than that." Buffy didn't know what to think at this point, but she was finding it hard to believe him.

"Spike isn't like that, you must have heard wrong." Buffy told him and really believed that it was true.

* * *

"I'm so glad you're here." Harmony said once Spike showed up. He looked like he ran the whole way there. 

"Where's Buffy? Is she okay?" He said as he tried to catch his breath and Harmony gave him a smile.

"She's fine; it was just a false alarm. She already went home." Spike sighed in relief as he rubbed his face.

"That's good then, I think I'll go check on her." He was about to walk away, when Harmony grabbed his arm and turned him back to her.

"She's not going anywhere; I was hoping we could talk." Spike wondered what she could possibly have to say to him, but he didn't have to wonder for long. She grabbed his head and pulled his lips down to hers in a hard kiss.

* * *

"Buffy, I think you need to turn around." Buffy didn't know what he was talking about, but when she turned around she felt like her heart would stop. Spike was kissing Harmony in the distance. "I told you he can't be trusted." Ryan said to her and Buffy wouldn't take that as she walked over to them.

* * *

Spike pulled away from Harmony with a start. He was about to tell her to keep her lips off of him, when she had a smile on her face. "Oops, looks like we have an audience." Spike turned around to see what she was talking about and saw Buffy standing there. He noticed the hurt look on her face. 

"Love, this isn't what it looks like. I didn't want it; she just attacked me when I got here. I thought you were hurt." Buffy shook her head and tried not to let her tears fall.

"You expect for me to believe that? This is the second time you've kissed her. That makes me wonder if she's really the one you've wanted this whole time. Are you just using me to get to my sister?" Spike shook his head and had to make it right somehow.

"You know I would never do that, Buffy. She tricked me into coming here. Don't you see? You're playing right into her hands." He explained and hoped that she believed him.

"I don't know what's real anymore. I trusted you, but I guess that was a mistake." She said as she then took off running in the other direction. Spike watched her go and grew angry as he looked at Harmony. He had to keep telling himself that it wasn't right to hit a girl.

"I want you to stay away from me, you got that?" He didn't wait for a reply as he took off after Buffy. Harmony didn't even flinch at his tone and Ryan hated the fact that he played a part in that deception. He looked at Harmony and once again knew why things didn't work out with them.

"You've done enough, Harm. He'll never want you, he's clearly in love with her and nothing you do can change that. You need to deal with the fact that not every guy wants you. I didn't break up with you because I found someone else, I was just sick of the way that you treat people. You're a manipulative bitch and everyone knows it. I think it's sick that you find pleasure from your own sister's pain. I regret that I even helped you, but I don't owe you anything. We're done, Harmony. I don't want anything to do with you anymore." He then walked away from her, leaving Harmony to stare after him in shock. She didn't care about anything he had to say. She knew that she did the right thing and Spike would soon realize that. He'll realize that Buffy's not the girl for him. Harmony didn't even care that she hurt her sister, but there was a part of her deep down that felt for Buffy. She just chose to ignore it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Spike knocked on Buffy's door and had to get her to talk to him. He wouldn't lose her over something as stupid as this. He was relieved when she opened the door and then surprised when she didn't even look angry or hurt. She just pulled him into the house and then closed the door. "Did Harmony follow you?" She asked and Spike tried to push his shock aside to answer her.

"I don't think so. Buffy, are you okay? I thought you were mad at me." Buffy waved her hand in the air and then pulled him upstairs to her room. She turned to look at him once they were inside.

"I'm not mad at you; I just wanted Harmony to think that. I knew something was wrong the second that jerk ex-boyfriend of hers started to talk to me. I didn't believe that you would really kiss her, Spike. I know Harmony pretty well, that was all her." Spike sighed in relief and then grabbed her in a tight hug.

"God, I was bloody terrified thinking that I lost you." He stated as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't do that to me, love." Buffy nodded as she pulled away from him.

"Sorry about that. I had to make it believable. I'm sick of her always getting her way and thinking that she's so perfect. It's time for things to change." She said and Spike had to smile at her. God, he loved this girl.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Buffy gave him a smile in return.

"Oh, I'm not gonna do anything." She told him and Spike was confused, until he heard a voice behind him.

"No, but I will. Buffy could never pull this off." Dawn said as she showed them the pink book that she was holding.

"What's that, nibblet?" Spike asked her and Dawn smiled as she opened up the book.

"This would be Harmony's diary. She really needs to find a better hiding place. Keeping it in a box that has diary written on the top is so lame. You should see some of the stuff she has in here. She says something bad about pretty much everyone in school and most of them are supposed to be her friends. I wonder what they would think when they find out what Harmony really thinks of them." Dawn explained with a big smile on her face. Buffy looked at the diary and then at her sister.

"I don't know, maybe this isn't such a good idea." She said and Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Buffy. Don't chicken out on me now. You were all set to get back at her a few minutes ago. She has this coming, it's nothing compared to all the crap we've had to deal with over the years. She needs to be put in her place and who better to do that than us? I mean, dying her hair is nothing. We need to move on to something to bigger." She said and Spike spoke up after a few seconds.

"You two dyed her hair green? That was bloody great." He said with a smile and it quickly vanished when he saw the look on Buffy's face. He knew how much she hated pranks, but Dawn did have a point. "Well, you know I'll be behind you. No matter what you decide to do." He said and she gave him a small smile this time.

"Alright, but this is all your doing." Buffy told Dawn and she squealed as she attacked her older sister in a hug.

"I promise you won't regret it. Harmony is never gonna know what hit her." She said as she ran out of the room.

"Sometimes she really scares me." Buffy said as she sat down on her bed and Spike sat down next to her.

"It'll all work out, love. It's just a shame that I don't go to high school anymore. I would have loved to see her reaction." Buffy slapped him playfully on the arm.

"I wish you were still there, too. You were the only thing that made school worth going to, even if you didn't notice me then." Spike moved closer and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I always noticed you." He whispered as he kissed her again and this time made it longer. Buffy pushed him away a little when she needed to breathe.

"As much fun as this is, I think you should go now. I don't want Harmony to see you." Spike agreed and stood up.

"I'm already gone." He said as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it. "I'll see you later." He told her and she nodded as she watched him walk away. She then lay down on her bed and thought about everything that happened. She really hoped they were doing the right thing.

* * *

Buffy sat up when Harmony barged into her room later and she tried to look upset, but all she felt was pissed off. "So, you left in a hurry. I hope it wasn't something I did." Harmony said as she tried to pretend that she was sorry. 

"You know what you did." Buffy mumbled as she got off of her bed and walked over to the window.

"Seriously, Buffy. Did you really think you could keep a guy like Spike? He is way out of your league. He's had tons of girls and you just can't compete with that. I was doing you a favor." Buffy couldn't take anymore and decided to give Harmony a piece of her mind.

"You think you did me a favor? Admit it, Harm. You just couldn't handle the fact that Spike chose me over you. You already get everything in this world. Why do you have to go after the one person that means anything to me? God, do you hate me that much? I have never done anything to deserve this. I want you to leave me alone." She stated as she turned back to the window and Harmony was a little surprised at the outburst.

"Look, it's not my fault that Spike can't resist me. I tried to push him away, Buffy. He's been constantly following me around and saying he wants to be with me. I told him that I couldn't do that to you, but he wouldn't listen. It's obvious that he only started going out with you to get closer to me. You really don't want a boyfriend like that. So, I really was doing you a favor." She finished and Buffy cringed as she heard everything her sister said. There was no part of her that believed it. She trusted Spike completely and that was all she needed to know. She then turned back to Harmony and tried not to laugh at the fake look of concern that she had on her face.

"Thank you," she replied and Harmony gave her a smile.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for my sister." She said as she patted Buffy on the head. She then walked out of the room and Buffy glared daggers at her back.

"No, thank you for making me feel less guilty about ruining your life." She said to herself as she thought about what was going to happen at school the next day. She had no doubts that Dawn would pull it off.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm back home now and I couldn't be happier about that. I hope everyone that celebrates Thanksgiving had a good one. This chapter may seem a little harsh, but things will soon change. I hope you guys will continue to like what I have in store. I really wanna make this story a longer one, but I'm dealing with writer's block at the moment. If I can't think of anything else to do, I may just end it at around 18 chapters. I'm hoping for more ideas to come to me, I just really don't wanna end it yet. I'm open to any suggestions at this point. I hope you guys like this chapter!

**Chapter 11**

Harmony walked out of class the next day, with her friends behind her. "The teachers seriously need to learn about fashion at this school. How does she expect anyone to pay attention to her in that outfit?" Her two friends, Megan and Natalie nodded in agreement. They always agreed with everything Harmony said. She stopped suddenly when she noticed a commotion in the distance. She just had to check it out, being the nosy person that she was. She found some people at their lockers and they seemed to be reading something. Harmony was curious and walked over to Cordelia when she saw the brunette at her locker also. It had to be something good if Cordy was so engrossed in it. "Hey, Cor? What's so interesting?" Cordelia then looked at Harmony, with a glare and the blonde didn't know what could have caused it.

"You slept with Angel?" Harmony gulped when her friend said that. Angel was Cordelia's boyfriend of two years and it happened a few months ago. She never thought the brunette would find out.

"How...How did you know that?" Harmony stuttered out and Cordelia threw the paper that she was reading in Harmony's face. Harmony was confused as she looked at the paper and then gasped when she saw what was on it. It was an exact copy of what she wrote in her diary about the time that she was with Angel. She looked back up at Cordelia's face to see that the other girl really wasn't happy.

"You must think I'm pretty stupid, Harm. It actually explains a lot now that I think about it. You have been acting weird around me and Angel has been distant lately. What, you couldn't handle the fact that I had a boyfriend and you didn't?" Harmony shook her head as she thought about what to say.

"No, I never meant for it to happen. It was a mistake, we both know that. We had too much to drink. We decided not to tell you because we didn't wanna hurt you." She explained and Cordelia grabbed the paper out of Harmony's hands and ripped it in half, throwing the pieces to the floor.

"Save it, Harmony. We're done here." She spat as she walked away and Harmony couldn't believe that just happened. She turned to Megan and Natalie to see that they were just as surprised. They had no idea that Harmony could do that to one of her friends. They walked away from her and headed to their own lockers, only to find a similar piece of paper there also. Megan grabbed it and her eyes grew big when she read what was on it. She turned back to Harmony and held the paper up for her to see.

"So, you think I'm a flake? You're really one to talk." She said as she threw the paper to the floor and walked away. Harmony picked it up and noticed that it was another page from her diary. What the hell was going on?

"I am not a crybaby!" Natalie yelled to Harmony once she read the paper that she found on her locker. She then ran away, with tears falling down her face. Harmony didn't understand what was happening, but she was determined to find out.

* * *

"Everyone is talking about Harmony and not in a good way." Willow said to Buffy in the cafeteria later that day. "Your sister is a genius, Buffy. I can't believe she pulled that off." Buffy sighed as she looked at her friend. 

"Yeah, Dawn's a genius alright. I know I should be happy that Harmony is finally getting what she deserves, but I can't help feeling bad about it. This would make me just as bad as her." Buffy stated and Willow shook her head.

"You could never be like Harmony. Besides, you really didn't do anything." Willow explained and Buffy let out a sigh.

"I know, but I still knew about it." Willow didn't know what else to say, when an excited brunette came over to them and sat down.

"This is the best day ever. No one is talking to Harmony; everyone in school practically hates her now. Job well done, if I do say so myself." Dawn told them and Buffy had to smile a little at her sister, even though she wasn't really feeling it.

"Should we feel happy about this? I mean, she is our sister. As much as I hate to admit that." Buffy said and Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Hell yeah, we should feel happy about it. You know she had this coming, Buffy. She has been making our lives miserable, maybe things will finally be better now." Buffy thought about what Dawn said and then nodded.

"I guess you're right." Dawn gave her sister a smile.

"I'm always right." They noticed Harmony sitting at a table by herself and Dawn looked back at Buffy. "I should feel bad that she's all alone right now, but all I feel is giddy." Dawn said as she then got up and headed out of the cafeteria to meet up with Connor. Buffy sighed again as her eyes moved back to Harmony. She really hoped that things would get better.

* * *

Buffy walked into her house after school and headed to her room, but she didn't get very far. She was pushed into a wall and she turned to see the angry face of Harmony. "What the hell did you do that for?" Buffy wondered as she rubbed her arm. 

"You did that to me! You stole my diary and posted every bad thing I wrote around school! They all hate me now because of you!" Harmony yelled and Buffy decided that it would be best if she took the blame. She wouldn't want to get Dawn into trouble.

"I only did it to get back at you for trying to take Spike from me. We're still together, Harmony. I know everything you told me was a lie. I wanted you to realize how it feels to have everything you love taken away from you. It doesn't feel good, does it?" Harmony then slapped Buffy across the face and she was shocked as she touched her stinging cheek.

"I wish you weren't my sister!" Harmony spat as she ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. Buffy was still touching her cheek as she looked to where Harmony was once standing.

"Yeah, the feeling's mutual." She said to herself as she went to her room and closed the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"I can't believe she hit you." Spike said as he touched the mark on Buffy's cheek. They were both sitting outside her house later that night.

"Well, she was pretty angry." Buffy replied and Spike wouldn't accept that.

"She still didn't have any right hitting you. Wasn't the diary thing Dawn's idea?" He asked and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, but Harmony figured I did it. I just let her think what she wants. It doesn't really matter to me." Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and pulled her closer to him. He then pressed his lips softly to the bruise and she closed her eyes at the touch.

"Does that feel better?" He whispered to her and all she could manage to do was nod. Spike gently licked her cheek and she felt chills go up and down her spine. He started to kiss her on the lips and she was eager to respond. He slipped his hand underneath her shirt and caressed her stomach as the kiss grew more passionate. They both then pulled away suddenly, when the back door opened and an angry Joyce came out.

"I think you should go home now, William. I need to speak with my daughter." She said and Spike nodded as he stood up. He gave one more look to Buffy before he walked away. Buffy had a feeling she knew what her mother wanted to talk about. "Get inside this house, young lady." She said and Buffy sighed as she stood up and followed her mother into the house. Joyce closed the door and then looked at Buffy. "What has gotten into you lately? Your sister is upstairs crying her eyes out right now because of what you did to her at school. How could you have done that, Buffy? You have been acting up ever since you started seeing William. Maybe it would be best if you two spent some time apart." Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing and decided to speak up.

"He has nothing to do with this. Harmony is the problem, mom. Why can't you ever see that? She has always been your favorite. Hell, she's everyone's favorite and excuse me for wanting that to change. I'm sick of going to a school where they only know me as Harmony's little sister. I wanted to be recognized for once." She explained and hoped that something would get through to her mother.

"So, you decide to embarrass your sister in front of her friends? I am surprised at you, Buffy. I love all three of you equally." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest as she looked away from her mother.

"You have a funny way of showing it." She mumbled and it was loud enough for Joyce to hear.

"Look, this kind of behavior isn't acceptable. I want you to go upstairs and apologize to your sister." Buffy felt like laughing at that suggestion, but she held it back.

"I have nothing to apologize for. She never apologized to me for everything that she's done, so why should I? I don't regret what happened; I would do it again if I could. She's a bitch and it's about time people realized that." Buffy knew she said the wrong thing when she saw the look on her mother's face, but she couldn't seem to care.

"I want you to go to your room and think about what you've done. You are not to go out anywhere for the next few weeks. You are only allowed to go to school and then come straight home. I don't want you with that boy again, not until you are ready to apologize and behave yourself. Do I make myself clear?" She finished in a surprisingly calm voice and Buffy gave her a hard stare.

"Crystal," she replied as she then ran upstairs and into her room.

* * *

"Wow, that's harsh. You're not even allowed to see him?" Willow said on the phone after Buffy told her what happened. 

"Not unless I apologize to her royal highness. It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens." She said and Willow nodded, even though Buffy couldn't see her.

"You shouldn't have to apologize. I'm sure your mom will come around." Willow said and tried to make Buffy feel better.

"I doubt it; you know how my mom can get. I'll just have to find a way around it." She explained and Willow was curious now.

"You mean you're going to sneak around? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Buffy shrugged as she played with the cover on her bed.

"Harmony's done it enough times; I think I could pull it off. I just can't apologize to her, Will. And I can't go weeks without seeing him either." She said and Willow agreed. They talked for a few more minutes, until Buffy realized that she should probably end the call. "I have to go now, wouldn't want mommy dearest to know I'm on the phone." She stated and hung up after Willow said goodbye. She then heard someone knock on her door and Dawn walked in a few seconds later.

"Hey, I heard what happened." She said as she closed Buffy's door and moved over to the bed. "Why are you taking the blame for this? It was my idea to screw Harmony over; you didn't even really wanna do it." Dawn said as she sat on her sister's bed.

"There's no reason for both of us to get in trouble. Harmony thought it was me and I didn't exactly correct her. It's not a big deal, Dawny." She said and that didn't stop Dawn from feeling guilty.

"I just feel bad that you got grounded for something that was my fault." Buffy smiled and tried to lighten the mood.

"Now you have some competition. You shouldn't be the only one to get grounded around here. There's a first time for everything." Buffy said and Dawn smiled also, even though she was still feeling guilty.

"Well, good luck trying to catch up to me. I've been grounded twice in the last two months." Buffy rolled her eyes at her sister's obvious excitement over the idea.

"Yeah, that's really something to be proud of. You're such a bad seed." Buffy said as she playfully slapped Dawn on the arm.

"You better believe it. I'll probably end up having sex before you." She claimed as she stuck her tongue out at Buffy.

"You better not even be thinking about that. You're way too young." Dawn rolled her eyes this time.

"Please, like you're not thinking about it. How can you be with Spike and not think about having sex?" Buffy blushed as she looked away from Dawn.

"Okay, this discussion is over." Dawn laughed at her sister's embarrassment.

"I so knew it." Buffy pushed Dawn and almost caused her to fall off of the bed.

"Shut up, brat." She said in a teasing tone and Dawn stuck her tongue out again. Joyce then opened the door, without even bothering to knock.

"Dawn, go to your room. Buffy is not allowed to have any company right now." Dawn rolled her eyes again as she got up and walked over to her mother. She didn't say anything as she left the room and Joyce looked at Buffy. "You should get to bed." She told her.

"Yes, mother." Buffy replied in an emotionless voice. Joyce only sighed as she shut her daughter's door. Buffy has never talked back before and Joyce was really starting to become worried. She didn't know what she was going to do with her.


	13. Chapter 13

This is another somewhat harsh chapter, but it'll be the last one with the feuding sisters. I couldn't deal with that for too much longer. I wanted to get on with the Spuffy goodness. I also wanted to say that if you don't like the story, you really don't have to read it. I don't appreciate a few of these reviews I've been getting telling me how much it sucks after about 12 chapters. If you don't like it, just stop reading it. There's no reason to waste my time or yours. You'll pretty much be deleted anyway, so there's really no point in it. I do accept constructive criticism, but I'm not going to tolerate anything that is just insults. Okay, I think that was a lot nicer than I could have been. I just couldn't ignore it anymore. Thank you to everyone else who has been enjoying the story. Your comments are appreciated and I hope you continue to like it!

**Chapter 13**

Buffy was confused when she walked into school the next day. Everyone was staring at her and she couldn't remember ever getting so much attention before. She was a little late, but she didn't think anyone would care about that. She just shook it off and headed to her locker, where she found Willow waiting for her. "Hey, why is everyone looking at me? Is there something on my face?" Buffy wondered as she opened her locker and started to put things in it. Willow looked like she had something to say, but didn't know how.

"No, you look great." She commented instead and Buffy grew even more worried. She knew that look on her friend's face.

"What's going on?" Willow took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"Buffy, there's a rumor going around about you." She said and Buffy's eyes grew big.

"What rumor?" She asked and Willow took another breath.

"They're saying that you're easy. That this whole shy thing of yours is an act and that you'll put out for anyone." Willow said in a rush and Buffy was appalled when she finished.

"What? Where did you hear that?" Buffy stated as her voice got louder.

"I heard some of the cheerleaders talking. I swear, Buffy. I didn't believe a word they said. I just thought you should know." Buffy tried to calm herself down as she thought about how a rumor like that could get started. She then gasped when realization hit her.

"I'm going to kill Harmony." She said in a harsh tone as she slammed her locker door shut and went to look for her sister.

* * *

Buffy looked everywhere for Harmony, when she finally found her outside the girl's locker room. She didn't even care that Harmony was talking to a few of her friends. Buffy was surprised that she still had any left after the whole diary thing. She had an angry expression on her face as she walked over to her sister. "So, you decide to get me back by spreading lies about me? That's really pathetic." Buffy spat as Harmony finally turned around and noticed her there. She didn't even seem like she cared. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, little sister. I only told everyone the truth. That you'll basically spread your legs for anyone." She said with a smile that Buffy just wanted to slap off of her face.

"I think you just described yourself, Harmony. I am not a slut like you are; you must be crazy if you think that anyone will believe that." Harmony shrugged as a few of the football players then walked down the hall. The one in the lead smirked when he noticed Buffy.

"Hey, Summers? Care to give me and my friends a good ride?" He said as his friends started to laugh behind him. Buffy was mortified at what he was implying and noticed the satisfied smile on Harmony's face. She tried not to cry in front of them as she looked at her sister.

"You went too far." She said as she then took off running in the other direction. She wanted to get as far away as she could.

* * *

"God, you really are a bitch." Harmony turned back around when she heard another familiar voice behind her, only to see Dawn standing there. "You're not satisfied until everyone around you is miserable." Harmony rolled her eyes and was really sick of dealing with her bratty sisters at the moment. 

"I was only getting her back. That's what she gets for humiliating me." Dawn had enough as she moved closer to Harmony.

"For your information, Buffy wasn't the one that humiliated you. Not that you would even care, but I was the one that posted your diary entries around school. It was my idea and Buffy was even against it. No matter how much hell you've put us through in the past, she didn't think it was right to embarrass you in front of everyone. She covered for me because that's what good sisters do, but you wouldn't know anything about that." Dawn said as she walked away from Harmony, leaving the older girl to stare after her in shock.

* * *

Dawn found Buffy in one of the bathrooms and she knocked on the stall door where she heard crying. Buffy opened the door after a few seconds and Dawn noticed how red her eyes were. "Hey, you okay?" She asked even though she knew there was no way Buffy could be okay. 

"No, I'm not okay. I wanted to be noticed and this is my payback. They all think I'm a slut now. I had to deal with disgusting comments from guys that have never talked to me before. God, I just want to go home." Buffy said as she put her head in her hands and Dawn rubbed her back in comfort.

"It'll be okay, Buffy. I told Harmony the truth about the diary thing. She might leave you alone now." Buffy shook her head and looked up at Dawn.

"It doesn't even matter anymore, the damage is already done. I can hardly show my face now." Buffy stated as Dawn pulled her up and out of the stall.

"Alright, you're going home. I think the day is done for you. Mom won't be there, so you don't have to worry. I think it was about time you took a day off from school anyway." Buffy didn't say anything as she nodded; she was too tired to argue. "Just go home and get some rest, I swear all of this will blow over by tomorrow. I don't care if I have to flash this whole school to get them to stop talking about you. I'll do it." Dawn told her and Buffy managed a tiny smile.

"I don't think Connor would appreciate that." She replied and Dawn shrugged.

"Hey, you're my sister. Connor knows that you come first, he's just gonna have to accept it." Buffy smiled bigger now as she gave Dawn a hug. Dawn always knew how to cheer her up. They have always been really close and were practically best friends. Buffy was really lucky to have Dawn in her life. They pulled out of the hug a few seconds later.

"I guess I'll see you at home. Thanks for everything, Dawny. You're the best." Dawn waved her hand in the air like it was no big deal.

"I know I'm the best. You're not so bad yourself." Buffy gave her one more smile before she left the bathroom. Dawn watched her go and really hoped that everything would get better for her sister.


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, I took a strange turn in this chapter. It wasn't really planned, but it just happened. I still like where I'm going with this story and I hope others will also like it. Thanks for the reviews!

**  
Chapter 14**

"I'm not one to hit girls, but I think I would make an exception for Harmony." Spike said to Buffy as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. She decided to go to his house instead of hers once she returned from school. She was just grateful that he didn't have classes until later. They were both sitting on his bed.

"It's tempting, but I don't think it's a good idea. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble." Spike sighed and really wished he could do something to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. If any of those blokes give you anymore trouble, you just let me know and I'll deal with them." Buffy pulled away from him, so she could see him better.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Spike. I can handle a few jerks; it's my sister that I'm not handling so well. I bet if I told mom about this, she wouldn't even care. Harmony has always been her favorite. I just don't understand that. It's not like she does anything important. I just can't compete with her." She said in a sad tone and Spike wanted to do anything he could to comfort her.

"There's no competition, love. You are a far better woman." He stated as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Buffy smiled at the fact that he called her a woman again. They just sat there in silence after that, until Buffy needed to go home.

* * *

Buffy walked into her house and realized that no one was home yet. She just went upstairs to her room and decided to lie down on her bed for a little while. She was lost in her thoughts that she never noticed that someone came home, until she heard the familiar voice in her doorway. "When did things get so complicated?" Buffy sat up with a start when she noticed Harmony standing there. She was also confused by the look she saw on her older sister's face. 

"What are you talking about?" Buffy wondered and Harmony shrugged as she went to sit on Buffy's bed.

"Things weren't always like this. We used to be closer, you know?" Harmony said and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, that was before you went to junior high and became a bitch." Buffy noticed the look of guilt on Harmony's face and was shocked by it, but she didn't say anything.

"Okay, I deserve that. I know I haven't been the best sister, but you don't know what it's like. There's so much pressure." Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"You think you're under pressure? How do you think it feels to be me? I have been living in your shadow for so long. For once, I want others to notice me for me. Not because I'm Harmony's sister. Not because I'm the smart girl that everyone can go to for tutoring, but just because I'm me. You don't know what that's like." Buffy explained and Harmony let out a sigh.

"I've always envied you." She stated in a soft tone and Buffy was beyond shocked at this point.

"Huh?" Buffy replied and Harmony took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"I've always wished that I could be more like you. You're really smart and sometimes I would give anything to be that brainy. To actually get good grades in school and know that mom was proud of me for something that I really deserve. Not some stupid cheerleading trophy that doesn't even mean that much. I would even wish to be more like Dawn and have the nerve to pull a stunt like that. She takes risks and I would give anything to be able to do that. I've never done anything exciting in my whole life. I never told anyone this, but Ryan dumped me for someone that was smarter. He said I was too shallow and self-centered. I didn't really listen at the time, but I know that he was right." Harmony finished and Buffy was staring at her, with her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe this was her sister. She has never opened up that much to anyone before.

"Look, you don't have to try so hard. You should stop worrying about impressing everyone else and just be yourself. Be the person that was there for me when we were kids. The person that used to always check for monsters in my closet, so I would be able to sleep better. I miss that person." Harmony realized how much everything has changed as she looked at her sister. She felt tears in her eyes and quickly wiped them away. She then did something that really took Buffy by surprise. She hugged her. Buffy didn't know what else to do, so she returned the hug. Dawn then chose that moment to walk into the room and she gasped at the sight of both of her sisters hugging.

"Whoa, did I somehow end up in an alternate universe?" Buffy laughed as she pulled out of the hug and was about to say something, when Joyce suddenly showed up in the doorway. She was also confused to see all three of her daughter's together, without any blood being spilled.

"What's going on in here?" Joyce wondered and no one knew what to say, until Harmony spoke up.

"Nothing, we were just talking. I realized that I don't really know my sisters that well. We have a lot to talk about." She explained and Joyce seemed to accept it. She was about to walk out of the room, when Harmony's voice called her back. "Mom, I wanted to tell you that Buffy wasn't the one that posted my diary entries around school." Harmony looked at Dawn and the younger girl figured that it was her turn to get in trouble, but Harmony took her by surprise as she turned her gaze back on their mother. "It was this girl in one of my classes. She has always had something against me. I made the stupid mistake of bringing my diary to school and I guess I left it in class. She must have found it." Dawn sighed in relief as they all waited for Joyce to say something.

"Oh, well I suppose you don't have to be punished anymore then." Joyce said to Buffy, who only nodded and gave a small smile. "Why did you tell me that you were the one that did it?" Joyce asked and Buffy thought about what to tell her.

"I just figured you wouldn't believe me." Joyce sighed as she looked at her middle child.

"Buffy, you know you could have told me. I know you may not believe it, but I love you very much. I love all three of you the same, I could never choose one over the other. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was." Buffy felt tears in her eyes now as she stood up to embrace her mother. Joyce smiled as she wrapped her arms around her daughter in return. Harmony and Dawn then did the same thing and joined in on the hug. It was probably the weirdest moment of Dawn's life, but it also felt really good. They all pulled out of the hug after a few seconds. Joyce gave her daughters one more smile before she left the room. Dawn then turned to look at her two older sisters, with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, I think I missed a very important conversation here." Buffy smiled as she ran her fingers through her younger sister's hair.

"We'll tell you about it later." She said and Dawn nodded in acceptance. She then remembered what she was going to say when she walked into the room.

"You don't have to worry about that rumor anymore, Buffy." She said and Buffy wondered what she was getting at.

"Why not?" She wondered and Dawn then had a huge smile on her face.

"You guys missed out today. That's already old gossip; they're not even talking about the diary thing anymore." Harmony was interested now as she waited for Dawn to continue. "You know that guy, James Stanley?" She asked them and they both nodded. "Well, he was caught making out with Ms. Newman in her classroom. I mean, how stupid can you get? He totally got busted by Snyder. It's all anyone can talk about now. And I'm sure Ms. Newman can kiss her job goodbye. That kinda sucks, I liked her." Dawn commented and they were both shocked by the news. Harmony was the one that spoke first.

"Ugh, I always knew that guy was a perv." She said and Buffy had to agree, which was something she never thought would happen. She was just relieved that no one would be spreading lies about her anymore. She hoped this gossip would last for a while. She then smiled as she looked at both of her sisters, who were still talking about it. Things were finally starting to look better.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"We actually had a real conversation. I never would have seen it coming." Buffy said as she sat on Spike's bed.

"Does this mean I have to start liking her now?" He wondered as he sat down next to her.

"I'm not even sure if I really like her yet, but things are getting better. She actually took out the trash yesterday, which is a big breakthrough for Harmony." Spike nodded as he put his arm around Buffy.

"She does know to leave me alone now, right?" He asked and Buffy smiled at him.

"I don't think she'll be a problem anymore. She apologized for trying to come between us. I guess she's always used to getting the guy that it was hard to deal with the fact that one could actually reject her. Not to mention choosing to be with the sister that she never thought could get a boyfriend. I guess I showed her." She finished and Spike placed a kiss on her cheek.

"That you did, love. I'll always be yours." Buffy felt touched at his words and really believed that he would always be there. She kissed him this time and it lasted for a few seconds. She pulled away and looked into his eyes, finally being able to tell him what she wanted.

"Spike, I think I'm ready." His eyes grew big at what she was implying.

"Are you sure, Buffy? I don't want you to think that you have to. There's no hurry." He told her and Buffy caressed his cheek.

"I want to, Spike. I want my first time to be with you. I know you would make it special." Spike pressed his forehead to hers and couldn't remember ever feeling so much love for someone. This girl has implanted herself into his heart in such a short time, but he couldn't imagine being with anyone else. He kissed her, with all the love and passion that he felt for her. He then started to remove his clothes. Buffy followed his lead and then grew shy when he started to stare at her. She grabbed the blanket to cover herself and he stopped her.

"Don't hide yourself from me, Buffy. You're absolutely breathtaking." He whispered and Buffy felt her cheeks get red. She then lay down on the bed and Spike got on top of her. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and trailed his lips down her neck, sucking and licking at her flesh. Buffy moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. He then pulled away to open the drawer next to his bed. Spike pulled out a condom and put it on. He looked into her eyes as he moved back on top of her. "It's going to hurt a little at first, but I promise it will get better." He explained and Buffy nodded as he positioned himself at her entrance. Buffy took a deep breath as he slowly slid into her. She shut her eyes when she felt the pain it caused. She never knew it would hurt so much. Spike kissed her closed eyelids and she opened them back up to look at the concerned expression on his face. The pain started to fade as he moved within her and she was caught in his gaze. "Does it feel better?" He asked in a low voice.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Don't stop." She told him and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He buried his face in her neck as he started to move faster inside of her. She was so incredibly tight and felt amazing. He never wanted it to end, but he could feel that she was close. They were both soon brought to release as Spike remained on top of her, both breathing heavily. He pulled out of her after a few seconds and lay down next to her, so she wouldn't be crushed. He threw the condom away when he got his breathing under control and looked at the vision next to him. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and she turned to look at him.

"You are amazing, you know that?" He said and she blushed at his words. She would never get used to it.

"You make me feel amazing." She replied and he then gave her a kiss on her nose.

"I'll spend the rest of my life making you feel that way." He whispered and Buffy couldn't help the tears that seemed to form in her eyes at his statement.

"I love you." She responded and Spike had a soft smile on his face now. He never expected her to be the first one to say that.

"I love you, too. More than anything." He told her and Buffy smiled in return as she rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. They were both soon fast asleep.

* * *

Buffy walked into her house early the next morning. She didn't mean to fall asleep at Spike's and just hoped that no one knew she was out all night. She was about to walk quietly up to her room, when she heard a voice behind her. "Where have you been?" She turned around to see her mother standing there and she didn't look happy. 

"I was at Spike's. We must have lost track of time." She said and hoped that her mother would leave it at that, but there was no such luck.

"What exactly were you doing with Spike all this time?" Buffy took a breath as she thought about what to say.

"We were just talking and then fell asleep. I didn't realize how late it was." Joyce let out the breath she was holding and clearly didn't believe that was the whole story.

"We need to talk, Buffy." She said as she grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her into the living room. They both sat down on the couch and Buffy waited for her mother to speak first. "I know you're not a child anymore and that you have an older boyfriend now, but I am still your mother. I want you to know that you can always talk to me." Buffy nodded and waited for her to continue. "I just want you to tell me the truth. Have you two been sleeping together?" Joyce asked and anxiously awaited Buffy's answer. Buffy figured that there was no way to get out of it now. She just nodded after a few seconds.

"It only happened once. It was my idea, not his. He wanted to wait, but I felt that I was ready." Buffy explained and Joyce let out a sigh. She already had to deal with Harmony being sexually active at a young age. She never figured that she would have to deal with the same thing from Buffy. Dawn was another story though, but Joyce couldn't even think about that at the moment. She just had to keep believing that her youngest was still a virgin.

"Were you careful?" She asked and Buffy nodded.

"Yes, Spike used protection." Joyce sighed in relief and gave Buffy's hand a squeeze.

"I just want you to be safe, honey. I know I haven't been the best mother to you, but I don't want you to get hurt." She explained and Buffy shook her head.

"Spike would never hurt me, mom. We love each other. I know you probably think I'm too young to understand, but I really do love him." Joyce gave Buffy a small smile. She couldn't believe how grown up her daughter was now. They all seemed to grow up too fast.

"I know you do. I think William is a good man. I know he'll take good care of you." Joyce said as she started to run her fingers through Buffy's hair. She hasn't done that since she was little. Buffy then gave her mother a hug and Joyce was surprised as she hugged her in return.

"I love you, mommy." She said as she felt tears in her eyes and Joyce held her tighter.

"I love you, too. Nothing will ever change that." Mother and daughter just continued to sit there in silence as they held each other. Happy with the fact that they both finally reached an understanding.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Buffy knocked on Spike's door the next day and smiled at the older man that greeted her. "Hey, Giles. I didn't know you were coming back already." She said and the man gave her a smile.

"Yes, I had a change of plans. I take it you're here to see William." Giles said as he let her into the house.

"Yeah, is he here?" She asked and Giles nodded.

"He's in his room. William has told me that you two are together now. I don't think I have ever seen my son quite this happy before, I believe you are the reason for that. I honestly don't think he could be with anyone better." Buffy felt touched at his words and gave him a hug. Giles always felt like a father to her, more than her real one ever was.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that." She told him as she pulled away and he gave her a kind smile.

"You're quite welcome. Would you tell him that I will be going to the market? I should return in an hour." He said and Buffy nodded as Giles headed out of the house. She then went to Spike's room and knocked on his door. She heard music coming from inside and figured that he couldn't hear her, so she opened the door. She found Spike asleep on his bed when she walked in. His arm hung over the edge and he was snoring quietly. Buffy thought he was absolutely adorable, she almost didn't want to wake him. She walked over to him and poked him lightly on the chest. That didn't seem to get a reaction from him, so she poked him harder. He still wouldn't budge and she was about to do it again, when he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bed. She let out a squeal as she landed on top of him. His eyes then opened and looked right at her.

"I was waiting for you." He said and she realized that he wasn't really asleep. She smiled as she gave him a kiss on the lips and then got off of him. He pouted at the loss of contact and then took a good look at her. She was wearing the leather jacket that he gave her and it really did look good on her. "I see you're wearing the jacket. It's a little warm out." He said as he sat up.

"Well, I like it. It's comfortable and the heat never bothered me anyway. You know, I was thinking about this jacket. You may not be a huge guy, but I realized the jacket wouldn't really fit you all that well. I was surprised with how well it fit me though. Is there something you wanna tell me?" He saw the smile on her face and let out a sigh.

"Alright, you caught me. It's not an old one that I just had lying around. I saw it in a store and I thought of you. I wanted to find a way to give it to you without you thinking that I bought it for you. Okay, I don't even think that made any sense." He said and Buffy laughed.

"It made perfect sense. This was really sweet of you." Spike shrugged and acted like it was no big deal.

"I didn't want you to get cold." He mumbled and Buffy didn't think he could possibly get any cuter. He was just full of surprises. Buffy threw her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the lips. He pouted when she pulled away after only a second. "Is that all I get?" He said and Buffy gave him a smile as she planted a more passionate kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. He pulled away when they both needed to breathe and rested his head against hers. "I'll never get tired of that." He whispered and she smiled again as she gave him another kiss. They wondered how long it would be before they left his room.

* * *

Buffy and Spike finally walked into the Bronze later that night and instead of sitting down, they moved to the dance floor. Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and she did the same, both of them swaying slowly to the music. They were lost in their own world, when Buffy accidentally bumped into someone. She was about to apologize, when she realized who that other person was. He recognized her also and gave her a smile. "Hey, it's Slutty Summers. I was just thinking about you." He told her and Buffy should have known those rumors wouldn't just go away. Mike was one of the popular guys at school and he always loved to make people uncomfortable. Spike pulled Buffy away and glared at the other man that dared to interrupt them. 

"You better show some respect, pillock." He spat out and Mike was only amused.

"Isn't this cute? You have yourself a bodyguard. How much are you paying to screw her?" He said to Spike, who then had a look of pure anger on his face. Buffy grabbed his hand and really didn't want to cause a scene.

"Spike, let's just go." She said and his expression softened when he looked at her. He only nodded and they were about to walk away, when Mike spoke up again.

"Well, I see who wears the pants in that family. You probably like it when the little whore tells you what to do." Spike had enough as he walked over to Mike and without even thinking about it, punched him right in the nose. Mike stumbled back and held his nose, which was now bleeding. Spike didn't feel any remorse for his actions.

"You ever say that about her again and you'll be getting more than a bloody nose. You got that?" He said in a surprisingly calm voice. He noticed that Security was starting to walk over to them and he wanted to get his girl away as fast as he could. He went back over to Buffy and noticed that she had a scared look on her face. He couldn't think about that at the moment as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of there. He just hoped she wouldn't be too mad at him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

They were both quiet when they reached Spike's house. They walked into the kitchen and Spike sat down, while Buffy went over to the freezer. He was really worried about the fact that she has yet to say anything to him. She got out the icepack and walked over to him. "For your hand." She said as she handed him the icepack. His hand wasn't hurting that much, but he took it from her anyway. She sat down next to him and avoided his gaze. He couldn't take it anymore as he put the icepack down.

"Buffy, please look at me. I'm sorry about what happened. I never meant to scare you." He told her and Buffy looked back at him.

"You were only sticking up for me. It did get a little scary; I've never seen you like that before." Spike sighed and knew that he had to make it better.

"I'm not usually like that. I was just upset at what that bloke said about you. You do know I would never hurt you, right?" Buffy shrugged and looked away from him again, but he wouldn't let her this time. He gently grabbed her chin and turned her eyes back on his. "I would never lay a finger on you, Buffy. You have to believe that." Buffy felt tears in her eyes. She decided that now was the time to tell him what she has never told anyone before. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Do you know what happened with my dad?" She asked him and he wondered where that came from all of a sudden, but he only nodded.

"Yeah, my dad told me that he was having an affair with his secretary and that he moved away to be with her." Buffy shook her head and took another breath to calm herself.

"That's not what happened, that's only what my mom told people. It hurt less than the truth." Spike could tell that this was hard for her and gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

"What happened?" He wondered and she was finally ready to tell him.

"It was before you and Giles moved here. My dad was an alcoholic, drinking was his answer to everything basically. He got frustrated a lot and would always take it out on my mom. They were constantly fighting and sometimes he...he would hit her. Dawn and I would always go to Harmony's room when they were yelling downstairs. We always wanted to be together. We were closer to Harmony then and she would always tell us that everything would be okay, but it was hard to believe that. My mom ended up with a lot of bruises on her and she would always tell us that she fell down, but we knew the truth. She finally woke us up one night when dad was out and told us to pack a bag. We were going to leave that night, but he came home earlier and got really mad at mom. He told her that he would never let us go and then he punched her hard in the face, right in front of us. That was the first time we witnessed it. Harmony and I went to mom's side to see if she was okay. Dawn went over to our father instead. She kicked him in the leg and he got so mad that he slapped her across the face. That was the first time he ever laid a hand on any of us. Mom freaked when she saw that. She was okay with him hitting her, but she never wanted us to get hurt. So, she yelled at him and told him to leave. He looked like he was upset after he hit Dawn and actually listened to her for once. He walked out of the house and mom called the police." She stopped to look at the reaction on Spike's face. He was angry as he took it all in.

"The bastard did that? Where the hell is he now?" Buffy flinched at the tone of his voice and he felt like an idiot for scaring her again. "I'm sorry, baby. What else happened?" He asked in a calmer voice and she took another breath before she continued.

"He was really drunk when he left and we figured he wouldn't get too far. The police showed up a little while later to tell us about a car accident a few minutes from our house. They identified his car and it looked like he lost control and crashed into a tree. He wasn't even wearing his seatbelt and he went through the windshield. He was killed instantly." She finished and Spike was shocked at everything she told him. He never knew that she lived with that for all these years. It made him want to protect her even more. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her head in his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy. I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I'm just glad you decided to tell me." She pulled away after a few seconds to look at him.

"I never told anyone that before. We don't like to talk about it." Spike felt touched knowing that he was the only person she told, but she wasn't finished yet. "I told myself that I would never be in that situation. I saw everything my mom had to go through and I swore that I would never go through that. I would never be with anyone that would hurt me." Spike now understood and felt like an even bigger idiot.

"I love you, Buffy. I would never hurt you. I have never hurt a woman in my whole life and I never will. I should have walked away when you wanted to, but I couldn't let some bloke talk about you like that. I promise it won't happen again. You never have to be afraid of me." He told her and she looked into his eyes to see how sincere he was. She nodded and felt more tears in her eyes.

"I know I don't. I would trust you with my life." She replied and Spike smiled as he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. He then pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

"I will always be here for you." He whispered and she closed her eyes. It felt like a huge weight has finally been lifted off of her shoulders. She knew that Spike was a good man and that he never said anything he didn't mean. He would always be there for her. No matter what.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Would you stop moving like that? You're gonna lose the whole effect of the outfit." Harmony said as she held Buffy still.

"This just isn't me." She replied and Harmony rolled her eyes.

"That's the idea, Buffy. I should have messed with your wardrobe years ago. How can you not own any skimpy leather? That's just not natural." Harmony stated as she pulled away and gave Buffy a look. "Yep, you almost look as good as I do in that outfit. Spike is gonna freak when he sees you." Buffy sighed as she continued to look at herself in the mirror.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Are you sure it's not too much?" Buffy wondered as she tried to pull the leather skirt down that Harmony let her borrow, but it wasn't working very well. She didn't understand how her sister could wear something so short. It was practically showing her underwear that Harmony suggested Buffy shouldn't even bother with, but there was just so much she would tolerate. She was wearing a red, halter top and she planned on putting her leather jacket on over it. Her hair was down in loose curls and she had to admit that she looked good. She figured a change wouldn't hurt. It was only for her date with Spike anyway. She still didn't know where they were going and hoped that the clothes would be okay.

"Holy crap, you've turned her into you." Buffy was pulled out of her reverie at Dawn's voice.

"I think this is a major improvement. Your clothes could use a little assistance, too." Harmony said and Dawn had a look of fear on her face.

"You won't be coming anywhere near my closet, Barbie. I happen to like my style, thank you very much." Buffy rolled her eyes as she tried to tune her sisters out. They may all have been a little better towards each other lately, but Harmony and Dawn would still constantly fight about stupid things. Buffy felt nervous when she heard the doorbell ring and knew it was Spike. She took a deep breath as she left the room and headed downstairs. They watched her go and Dawn took another good look at the outfit that Buffy was wearing. "Can I borrow that skirt?" Dawn asked and Harmony had a big smile on her face.

"I knew you would come around." She said as she secretly hoped that Spike would like her sister's transformation.

* * *

"Bloody hell," Spike said as he looked at Buffy. 

"Is that good or bad?" She wondered and he looked her up and down.

"It's definitely good. You look amazing, love. What's with the sudden change?" He asked as Buffy grabbed her jacket and made her way out of the house, closing the door behind her. She shrugged as she got into his car.

"I just wanted to try something different. Harmony talked me into it." Spike rolled his eyes as he got in on his side and started the car up.

"I should have known. You look great, but you don't have to change who you are. You would look gorgeous in anything, including the sweats that you always wear. You didn't have to change to impress me." Buffy shook her head as he pulled out of the driveway.

"I actually did it for me. I have always been plain and I wanted to be sexy for once. You may have thought I always was, but I never did. I never looked into the mirror and thought I was pretty, but I actually did today for the first time ever. It felt really nice. I'm not saying that I'm going to make a habit of it, but one night couldn't hurt." She told him and he smiled as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, without his eyes leaving the road.

"No, it doesn't. You may be dressed a little too fancy for where we're going though." Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"How is this fancy?" Spike looked at her when he stopped at a red light.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Buffy pouted at that. She always hated surprises, but she was positive that Spike wouldn't disappoint.

* * *

"I can't believe you did this." Buffy said when they finally arrived at their destination. Spike brought her to a farm a little out of Sunnydale, where she could see a lot of animals running around. It reminded her of the farm where her grandfather lived in Georgia and that she used to always go to when she was little. 

"You do still like horses, right?" He asked and Buffy nodded as she looked around the place.

"Ever since I was a little girl. I used to love riding horses." Spike nodded also as he pulled her over to the stables.

"I know, you told me." She was about to say something else, when she noticed a young woman brushing a horse. The woman turned to look at them and a smile graced her lips.

"Spike, it's great to see you again." She said as she gave him a hug.

"Same to you, love." He replied and pulled out of the hug. He then turned back to Buffy. "This is, Tara. She's a friend. Tara, this is Buffy." He said as he introduced them and Buffy gave her a smile.

"It's nice to meet you." She said and Tara nodded as she shook Buffy's hand.

"Yeah, Spike has told me a lot about you." Buffy wasn't expecting that as she looked at Spike.

"I've been coming up here a lot." Buffy nodded and didn't know that Spike had a love for horses. Tara turned back to the horse that she was brushing earlier.

"Well, this one is ready if you want to take him for a run. I would be careful though. He loves to go fast." Buffy smiled as she moved closer to the horse. She ran her fingers through his mane and he nuzzled her hand with his nose. Buffy laughed and looked back at Tara.

"What's his name?" She asked as she turned her concentration back on the horse.

"We call him Lightning, but don't let that scare you. He's really very gentle." Tara told her and Spike smiled as he watched Buffy get acquainted with Lightning. He knew she would love it there.

"Hey there, boy. You're really very handsome, you know that?" Buffy said to the horse and was rewarded when he nuzzled her hand again. "I could really ride him?" She asked Tara and the other girl nodded. Buffy smiled and then realized something. "Yeah, I really shouldn't have worn this." She said as she looked down at her outfit and decided that it wouldn't be very easy to ride a horse in a skirt. Tara waved her hand in the air like it was no problem.

"Don't worry; I have some comfortable pants you can change into. I'll be right back." She told them as she walked away and Buffy looked at Spike.

"I really like her. How do you two know each other?" Buffy asked and Spike figured she would ask that.

"We used to go out for a little while last year. It didn't really work out." He explained and Buffy didn't realize that she was one of his ex-girlfriends.

"Why didn't it work out?" She was suddenly curious to know.

"Tara's a great girl and we really had fun together, but we just had different interests. Okay, let me change that. We had one very similar interest." He explained and Buffy didn't understand how that was a good enough reason to break up with someone.

"What would that be?" She asked and he gave her a smile.

"We both like women." He stated and Buffy's eyes grew big at that.

"Oh, well good for her. When did she find out?" Spike shrugged and started to pet Lightning as a distraction.

"I'm not sure; it was probably when she realized that she wasn't really attracted to me. Normally I would take offense to that, but when she told me she was a lesbian I started to fantasize about her with another woman. It all seemed better after that." He laughed when Buffy hit him on the arm.

"You're such a guy." She said as she wrinkled her nose.

"Well, that is one of my many good qualities." Buffy rolled her eyes and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. Tara then came back out and looked at both of them.

"Did I miss something?" She wondered and they both shook their heads.

"Nope, just Spike being a perv." Buffy said and Tara nodded in understanding.

"That's definitely nothing new. I wish you luck with him." Tara said and Spike felt a little hurt as Buffy smiled at him. Tara then handed Buffy the pants and she took them, making sure that Spike's back was turned when she changed. He was complaining about it being nothing he hasn't seen before, but Buffy wasn't having it. Tara smiled at their banter. She could see the obvious love the two shared for each other and she was happy that Spike found someone. He was a good guy and he really deserved it. She just wished she could be that lucky. Tara still hoped that there was someone out there for her. Maybe she would find her one day.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Buffy walked into the house later that night after Spike dropped her off. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She had so much fun riding a horse again. She always felt so free when she was riding. She walked into the living room and stopped suddenly at the sight in front of her. "What's going on?" She wondered and Dawn pulled away from her boyfriend.

"I didn't think you would come home until later." She said and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't mean you're allowed to make out with your boyfriend on the couch. Where's mom? You're not supposed to be alone with a guy in the house." Buffy told her and Dawn rolled her eyes this time.

"Mom had to go into the gallery. You worry too much; it's not like we were really doing anything." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and then looked at the boy next to Dawn, who has yet to say anything.

"I think you should go home now, Connor." He nodded as he got off of the couch and headed to the front door. He looked Buffy up and down when he walked by her.

"Nice outfit, Buffy. You look hot." He told her with a smile and both sisters rolled their eyes.

"Get out of here, you little perv." Buffy said as she tried not to laugh. Dawn then stood up and walked over with him to the front door.

"I can't believe you were hitting on my sister right in front of me." Dawn said and he shrugged.

"I was only giving her a compliment. You need to lighten up sometimes, babe. Are you pmsing again?" He wondered and Dawn was irritated at that comment.

"I can't believe you just said that to me. God, you're such a jerk." Connor smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Love you, too. I'll call you tomorrow." He told her as he opened the door and walked out of the house.

"Yeah, you better." Dawn called after him and then shut the door when she couldn't see him anymore. Buffy laughed as she headed upstairs. Dawn has been seeing Connor for about two years now, but they've practically known each other since they were in diapers. They would constantly have stupid fights, but Buffy knew that they really loved each other. Buffy always thought of Connor as a brother, but that didn't mean he wasn't a perv at times. Boys will be boys. She got to her room and closed the door. She would just be grateful to have some peace and quiet, or so she thought. She squealed when someone grabbed her from behind and turned her around. She was ready to yell at Spike for scaring her, until his lips found hers in a passionate kiss. She pulled away and tried to look mad at him.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked and he shrugged as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I came in through the window. Didn't feel like going home just yet." He told her.

"You know, you're really not supposed to be in here. My mom could come home any minute now." She said and knew that her mother probably wouldn't be home for a few more hours.

"She'll never have to know." Spike said as he started to place kisses on her neck. Buffy moaned and tried to stay focused on the conversation.

"Dawn's still here." She replied in a low voice and Spike didn't pull away as he answered her.

"We can be very quiet." He whispered in her ear and Buffy knew she was lost. Spike then picked her up and moved over to her bed.

* * *

Harmony walked into the house and took her coat off. She was hanging at the Mall again and it was extremely crazy around this time of year, Christmas only being a few weeks away. She headed upstairs to find Dawn outside Buffy's room. "What are you doing?" She asked and Dawn turned to look at her. 

"Buffy's in there with Spike. It's pretty obvious what they're doing. I can't believe she complained about me being alone with Connor and she has him in her room." Harmony smiled as she walked over to Buffy's door and heard the moans going on inside.

"I have never been more proud of her." Harmony claimed and Dawn rolled her eyes, when they both then heard the front door open.

"Crap, mom's home. We have to get him out of there." Dawn said and Harmony nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, you handle that. I'll go stall." She stated as she went downstairs and Dawn then knocked on Buffy's door.

"I hate to interrupt the sexfest, but mom's home early." Dawn said and tried not to be so loud. She then heard shuffling going on inside and opened the door a few seconds later to find that it was unlocked. It looked like Buffy and Spike just finished putting their clothes back on. Dawn was just relieved that she didn't see anything.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked her sister.

"Harmony's gonna stall, but I don't know how good she is at that. You need to get him out of here." Buffy nodded and turned back to Spike.

"Okay, back out the window." She told him as she pushed him over to the window. "Be careful going down. I don't want a broken boyfriend." She said and he smiled as he gave her a kiss on the lips. He then climbed down the tree outside her window and took off running when he got to the ground. Buffy then looked back at Dawn. "Thank you," she said and Dawn nodded.

"You so owe me. At least I wasn't having sex with Connor." Buffy didn't get a chance to respond as Joyce then made her presence known in the doorway.

"What are you two up to? It looked like Harmony was trying to keep me from something." They both looked at each other and thought of what to say.

"We were wrapping your Christmas present. We didn't want you to see what it was." Dawn said suddenly and Buffy nodded in agreement. Joyce looked at both of her daughters and wasn't sure if she believed them, but she nodded anyway.

"Alright, you should get ready for bed." Joyce said as she walked away and they both sighed in relief. Harmony then came back into the room.

"That was a close one." She told them and they both agreed. Buffy couldn't believe what just happened. She never planned on sleeping with Spike in her room. She didn't seem to have any control when he was around. She couldn't help thinking that she forgot something though. Harmony and Dawn were talking about something that Buffy was tuning out at the moment. Her eyes then grew big when she realized what it was that she forgot.

"Oh god," she said and Harmony and Dawn stopped talking to look at her.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked and was really worried by the expression on her sister's face. Buffy looked at both of them and took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"We forgot to use a condom." She told them and they were both concerned now.

"Oh, well I'm sure it'll be fine. It's probably nothing to worry about." Dawn said to try and make Buffy feel better.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Buffy replied with a forced smile and it faded when both of her sisters left the room. Her mother talked about her going on the pill and it sounded like a really good idea right about now. She really hoped there was nothing to worry about.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Buffy ran into Dawn's room, with a smile on her face. "I'm not pregnant." She told her and Dawn was also happy to hear that.

"Really?" She wondered and Buffy nodded.

"I have never been so happy to get my period." She said and knew that a huge weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. She has been worried for days about the fact that she could be pregnant, but she was so relieved to realize that she wasn't. Buffy did want kids, but definitely not when she was still in high school. She could finally enjoy the holidays without being worried about a baby. Her and Spike would have to be a lot more careful from now on. She didn't tell him about the possibility of her getting pregnant. She figured there was no use worrying him unless she knew for sure. Speaking of Spike, she wondered where he was. Buffy hasn't seen much of him the last week and she hoped that everything was okay.

* * *

"So, are we doing anything this weekend?" Buffy asked her boyfriend when she finally saw him the next day. He only shook his head. 

"I can't this weekend. I have a whole lot of school work to do. I've been neglecting my studies recently." He said and Buffy had a feeling that he was keeping something from her. Spike would never choose to study over spending time with her. She knew that school was important, but he hasn't been around much the last few nights and she was starting to get lonely without him.

"Maybe we can just go to a movie or something. That shouldn't take so long. Come on, Spike. I feel like I haven't seen you in a while, one movie couldn't hurt." She said and he didn't look like he would be agreeing with her.

"I said I can't, alright? Just leave it, Buffy. I have things to do. We can do something next week." Buffy flinched at the tone of his voice and was really getting worried now.

"Are you okay?" Spike sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He then wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry, baby. I just really have to get my work done. I'll be spending most of the day at the library tomorrow and I just don't have time for anything else right now. I promise I'll make it up to you." He told her as he pulled away and gave her a pout. She smiled and couldn't resist when he did that.

"Okay, we can do it another time." He smiled also and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I won't be home until pretty late tonight. I promised I would help Xander with something." Buffy nodded and he gave her one more kiss before he walked out of her house. Buffy watched him go and still couldn't help feeling that something was wrong.

* * *

"I know what you've been doing." Spike stopped when he heard Harmony's voice. 

"Were you waiting for me to leave?" He wondered and she shrugged as she walked closer to him.

"I couldn't talk to you with Buffy around. I saw you the other day, Spike. Do you really think you can keep this from her?" Spike clenched his fists at his side and had to keep reminding himself that it was wrong to hit a woman. He tried to calm down as he answered her.

"You can't tell her. I'm not ready for her to know yet." He said in an almost pleading voice.

"I won't be telling her, you will. She has a right to know why her boyfriend has been lying to her. Buffy's not stupid, she'll figure it out. It would probably be better if she found out from you." Spike knew she was right and hated to think that. He couldn't believe how much Harmony has changed in only a few days.

"I will tell her, I just need some time. This is nothing I'm really proud of." Harmony nodded and accepted his answer. "I have to go." He told her as he walked away and headed to his destination. He was going to be late now.

* * *

Buffy walked to Xander's apartment and knocked on the door. It wasn't like she was checking up on Spike. She trusted him completely, but he has been acting a little weird lately. She just wanted to make sure everything was okay and maybe Xander knew something she didn't. She knocked again and there was still no answer. She then turned the doorknob to find that it was unlocked. She walked into the apartment and looked around. She finally heard something that came from the bedroom and went to check it out. She realized that the door wasn't closed all the way and she really wasn't prepared for the sight in front of her. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." She said as she quickly covered her eyes. Xander was startled when he noticed her there as he covered himself up, along with the girl in bed next to him. 

"Buffy, what are you doing here?" He wondered and she shook her head.

"I knocked, but there was no answer. Sorry, I shouldn't have come in." She stated with her hand still over her eyes.

"That's okay; you can look now. We're not completely decent, but I promise you won't be scarred for life." He told her.

"I think it's a little too late for that." She mumbled as she finally removed her hand and was relieved to see both of them covered. "I'm really sorry." She said again.

"It's not a problem. It was my fault; I should have locked the door. This is Anya, my girlfriend. We met about a month ago. This is Buffy, she's dating Spike." He said as he introduced them and Buffy smiled at the other girl.

"It's nice to meet you." She said and Anya nodded as she looked back at Xander.

"Is she going to be here long? You promised me more orgasms." Xander blushed at his girlfriend's bluntness that he still wasn't used to. Buffy was just shocked and didn't know what else to say. He got up to get dressed and Buffy turned around, so she wouldn't see anymore of his nakedness. He then turned to Anya after putting his clothes on and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"I'll be back in a second." He told her and she didn't look pleased, but she nodded anyway. Xander walked out of his room and Buffy moved out of the way as he shut the door. "So, what can I help you with?" He asked her and Buffy tried to forget what she just saw and got to the reason of why she was there.

"I was just looking for Spike. I thought he was here." Xander looked confused and shook his head.

"Haven't seen Spike in a few days. Why did you think he was here?" Buffy didn't know what to think now.

"He told me that he would be here. Maybe I heard him wrong." She said and Xander nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's probably it." Buffy gave him a small smile.

"Sorry again for walking in on you. I'll just be going now." She told him and then walked out of the apartment. Buffy was beyond worried at this point. It was one thing for Spike to be acting weird, but something had to be really wrong if he would lie to her. She just wished she knew what it was.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"I know something's wrong, Will. Spike wouldn't just lie to me like that." Buffy said the next day and Willow didn't know what to tell her.

"I'm sure he has a good reason." She replied and Buffy shook her head.

"He's doing something that he doesn't want me to know about." Buffy thought about what he could possibly be up to. Her eyes grew big as she looked at Willow. "You don't think he's seeing someone else, do you?" Buffy asked in a worried tone and Willow didn't even have to think about it before she answered.

"No, there's no way he would do that. Spike's crazy about you, Buffy. Anyone can see that." Buffy started to feel tears in her eyes and really wished she could believe that, but lately she hasn't been so sure.

"How else would you explain it? I thought we were happy, but I don't even know anymore. He's been really secretive lately. Why would he act like that if there wasn't someone else?" Willow shrugged and really wished she could make her friend feel better, but she didn't know how. Buffy would be devastated if Spike was involved with someone else. She didn't want that for her friend and really hoped that it wasn't true. Buffy sat down on her bed and Willow could clearly see the tears spilling from her eyes. "Maybe he's finally decided that he wants someone older. Maybe I'm not good enough anymore." Her voice trailed off as she buried her face in her hands. Willow went to her side and rubbed her back in comfort.

"It'll be okay, Buffy. I'm sure of it." She said and Buffy raised her head after a few seconds.

"I love him so much, Will. I can't lose him now. He's all I have." She whispered as the tears continued to fall. Willow wrapped her arms around Buffy and let her cry on her shoulder. Her heart breaking for her best friend.

* * *

"I can't believe that's what he's been up to. Buffy has no idea?" Dawn asked after Harmony told her what she knew. She had to tell someone. 

"He's not ready for her to know. I think it's really stupid if you ask me. He should just tell her and get it over with. Lying to her will only make things worse." Dawn agreed and still couldn't believe that Harmony was actually being helpful now.

"So, what do we do?" Dawn wondered and a smile lit up her older sister's face.

"I think all three of us should take a trip to the Mall. Spike would never expect it." Dawn smiled also and had to agree with her again. It was about time Buffy knew the truth.

* * *

"Guys, I really don't feel like shopping right now." Buffy told her sisters as they all walked into the Sunnydale Mall later that day. 

"Okay, you are so not normal. How could you not feel like shopping?" Harmony asked in shock and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I think it's a good idea, Buffy. It'll help you take your mind off of whatever's bothering you." Dawn said and Buffy let out a sigh.

"Fine, but I don't have to enjoy myself. I guess I should get started on my Christmas shopping." She replied and they both nodded as they headed to the center of the Mall, where they were sure to find a certain bleached blonde.

* * *

Buffy sighed for the millionth time as her sisters continued to stop at a bunch of stores that had no interest to her. Harmony just had to look in Victoria's Secret and she was trying on a few of the lingerie there. Buffy was looking at all of the clothes around her that she would never be caught dead in. Dawn was browsing in the music store and Buffy just wanted to be anywhere else. "Alright, we can go now. Unless there's anything you're interested in." Harmony said with a smile and Buffy had a disgusted look on her face. 

"A world of no." She commented and Harmony shrugged as she put back the lacy thong that she was holding.

"Suit yourself, but I'm sure Spike would love it." Buffy tried not to cry at the mention of her boyfriend. She hoped he was still her boyfriend anyway.

"I just want to get out of here." She said as she walked out of the store. Harmony sighed and followed after her. They both soon found Dawn outside the pet store looking in the window. They knew how she could be around animals. She smiled at them when they walked over.

"They are so cute. We really need to talk mom into getting a puppy." Harmony rolled her eyes and Buffy had to smile at her younger sister's excitement.

"I don't think she would go for that, Dawny. You remember the hamster incident?" Dawn looked ashamed as she answered Buffy.

"That was an accident. I was 9 then, I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Besides, a dog is too big to fit in the vacuum cleaner." Buffy shook her head and put her arm around Dawn as she turned back to the puppies in the window.

"Do you remember Miss Kitty Fantastico?" Dawn paled at that and pulled away from her sister.

"Okay, shut up." She mumbled and Buffy figured she proved her point.

"I just don't think we could risk a puppy." Dawn rolled her eyes now and knew that her sisters would never let her forget how bad she was with pets. She was just a kid then. She was allowed to make mistakes.

"We know they're cute, but we really should get going now." Harmony said and Dawn nodded as she let Buffy pull her away from the animals. They finally headed to their last stop and knew that Buffy would get a surprise.

* * *

"Aren't we a little old to see Santa?" Buffy asked later as they waited in a line to see the jolly man himself. 

"You're never too old for Santa. Trust us, Buffy. It will definitely be worth it." Dawn told her and Buffy didn't know what she was talking about. She just shrugged and watched as the little kids sat on Santa's lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas. There was finally one more little girl in front of them and Buffy rolled her eyes as the child told Santa what she wanted. Basically she wanted everything from a toy car to a pony. Buffy was just glad that she was never that spoiled. The only thing she ever asked Santa for in the past was one of those dolls that looked and felt like a real baby. She always liked to play house and dreamt about the family she would have when she was older. She sighed at the memory and then came back to earth when it was their turn to go up. Buffy stopped suddenly when she got a good look at Santa. His eyes grew big as he seemed to recognize her also. Buffy would know those blue eyes anywhere.

"Spike?"


	22. Chapter 22

I know that I'm evil. I'm sure you guys will think that at the end of this chapter. I'll just tell you not to worry about it. All you have to do is trust me. I needed something after all and writer's block is always a problem. I'm trying to bring as much people into this as I can. Well, thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you guys liked what I did in the last chapter and I really hope this one won't disappoint.

**  
Chapter 22**

Buffy didn't know what to think as she stared at Spike in a Santa Claus outfit. He spoke to the boy in the elf costume next to him and said that he would be taking an early break. He then walked over to Buffy and pulled her away, so they could have some privacy. "What are you doing here?" He wondered and Buffy finally spoke after a few seconds.

"I should be asking you the same question, but I guess it's obvious what you're doing here. Is this why you've been acting all weird?" Spike took his Santa hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. He also removed the beard and Buffy once again thought about how cute he looked in the outfit. Red definitely looked good on him.

"I needed a part-time job and this was the only thing I could get." He told her and Buffy nodded, but there was something she still didn't understand.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He shrugged and thought about why he didn't tell her.

"I guess I was embarrassed. I was going to tell you, I just never found the right time. I didn't want you to see me like this." Buffy was just really relieved to find out that Spike wasn't cheating on her. She should have known that he would never do that.

"Spike, you didn't have to be embarrassed. You could have told me. I mean, you look really good in that outfit. Do you get to keep it?" Spike laughed and rolled his eyes.

"No, but I'm really glad you're okay with this. I just didn't have any money for gifts this year and I wanted to get you something special. The good news is that I'll only have to keep at this for a few more weeks. It's bloody hot in this thing." Buffy smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.

"You still look incredibly sexy." Spike wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a longer kiss. They were then interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Spike pulled away to look at the irritated elf behind him. He sighed and turned back to Buffy.

"I should get back to work now. I'll see you later, love." Buffy nodded and gave him one more kiss.

"Yeah, I'll tell you what I want then." She said with a smile.

"Will you sit on my lap?" Spike responded with a leer and her smile got even bigger.

"You can count on that." She replied with a wave and then went to find her sisters. Spike watched her go and then turned back to the elf, who was also watching her walk away.

"Dude, your girlfriend's hot." He said and Spike glared at the short man.

"Eyes off, mate." He told him and the man raised his hands in surrender. Spike only rolled his eyes and then got back to work. He couldn't wait for the day to be over.

* * *

"So, that's what you guys wanted to show me? You could have just told me instead of making me come here." Buffy said once she found her sisters. 

"Yes, but this way was much more fun." Dawn commented and Harmony didn't even seem to be paying attention to them. She was looking off in the distance.

"Does anyone else agree that Spike looks damn good dressed like Santa?" She said and then noticed the expressions on both of their faces. "I'm just saying. Don't worry, I'm totally over him. He's not really my type anyway." She explained and Dawn rolled her eyes. Buffy didn't have anything to say to that and then noticed that Harmony's attention was now on something else. She turned to see what her sister was staring at and saw Cordelia. She guessed things still weren't that good between them. They have been friends practically since the beginning of high school. It was weird not seeing them together all the time. Harmony took a deep breath as Cordelia walked over to where they were. She stood in front of them and looked like she didn't know what to say.

"Hey," was all she managed to get out and Harmony was just glad that she said something.

"Hey, how are things going?" Harmony replied and Cordelia shrugged.

"Not so great. I'm not with Angel anymore." She explained and Harmony felt even worse.

"I'm really sorry. I hope you guys didn't break up because of me. It didn't mean anything." Harmony told her and Cordelia let out a sigh.

"It wasn't because of you. Things just haven't been working out with us lately. I told myself that he would change, but it doesn't look like that will be happening. He didn't just sleep with you. I found out that he has been cheating on me with Darla Thompson for a few months now. I couldn't be with him anymore after that. She's a major whore, there's no telling what diseases I would get." Harmony was shocked and had no idea.

"I'm sorry, he was a jerk anyway. You deserve better than that, Cordy." Cordelia gave a small smile and realized that she missed her friend.

"Thanks, you wanna get out of here? I would suddenly rather be elsewhere." Harmony thought about it and then looked at both of her sisters, who have been quiet since the other girl walked over to them.

"I'm with my sisters right now. We had more shopping to do." She said and both Buffy and Dawn were stunned that Harmony would rather spend time with them instead of Cordelia.

"That's fine; could I hang with you guys then?" She wondered and they all nodded. Cordelia smiled as they started to walk away in silence. She spoke again a few seconds later. "Did you guys check out that Santa? You can tell he has a nice ass under all those clothes. I wonder who it is." Buffy and Dawn tried not to laugh and Harmony smiled at her friend.

"That ass belongs to Buffy." She said as she gave her sister a wink and Cordelia was confused now.

"Okay, I have a feeling I missed something here." They nodded again as they continued their shopping.

* * *

"Damn, I never knew Santa was so hot." Spike turned around at the familiar voice that he hasn't heard in years. He was finally ready to go home when she appeared. 

"Faith?" He said and she gave him a huge smile.

"What, you don't have a hug for your old girlfriend?" Spike returned her smile and went to do just that. He lifted her off of the ground a little in the process and she laughed at his antics. He then put her down and still couldn't believe that she was there. He hasn't seen her since he left England all those years ago.

"What are you doing here?" He asked and she shrugged as she pulled on his beard.

"I figured I would look you up; see what you've been doing. Besides, London was starting to bore me. I see you're doing pretty well." Faith said as she looked him up and down. "I'm not even gonna ask." She stated and he was grateful for that.

"How did you know where I was?" He wondered as he got a good look at her. She still looked the same as he remembered, not much for change.

"I stopped by your house and Giles was kind enough to let me know. So, you happy to see me?" She asked and he hugged her again.

"You have no idea." He whispered and couldn't remember ever being so happy to see anyone. He knew Faith since he was little and they were always so close. He didn't know how much he missed her, until now. They still kept in touch, but it wasn't the same. Spike then grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the Mall. They had a lot of catching up to do.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Giles." Faith told the older man and he smiled at her.

"Of course, you're always welcome. I know William is very happy to see you again." Faith returned his smile and waited for Spike to come back. Faith never realized how much she missed her old best friend. Things haven't been the same without him. They have been close since they were kids and Spike was always there for her. They started going out when they were older and he was her first real love, but it never would have worked out. She was brought out of her thoughts, when the back door opened and Spike walked in. He was followed by a blonde girl that Faith didn't recognize.

"Dad, make her stop. She keeps making Santa jokes." Spike said in a childish tone and Giles rolled his eyes.

"You're such a baby." Buffy told him as he stuck his tongue out at her, which just proved her point. She laughed and then stopped when she noticed the brunette sitting there. "Sorry, I didn't know you had company." Spike smiled as he introduced his two favorite girls.

"Buffy, this is Faith. She was my girlfriend in England. Faith, this is Buffy. My current girlfriend." He explained and Buffy smiled at the dark haired girl. She didn't plan on meeting another one of Spike's ex-girlfriend's and this one was a lot different than Tara. She seemed like she was more Spike's type, but she wasn't going to let that thought bother her.

"It's nice to meet you." Buffy said in a friendly tone.

"Likewise, B." Faith replied with a nod and took time to notice the petite blonde. She was definitely not someone Spike would have dated before, but maybe it was good for him.

* * *

Buffy left about an hour later. She spent that time talking with Faith and getting to know her better. It was late and Giles already headed up to bed. Spike was talking with Faith in the guest room, where she would be staying. "So, you really like it here?" Faith wondered after a minute of silence. 

"Yeah, this place has its moments." Faith nodded as a smile formed on her face.

"You and blondie pretty serious?" Spike knew it was only a matter of time before she started asking about Buffy.

"Yes, we're pretty serious. I love her." He stated and Faith looked surprised now.

"I guess it is serious then. Well, I'm happy for you. She seems pretty cool. Damn hot, too." She said with a smirk and Spike rolled his eyes.

"Can you not hit on my girlfriend? There's just something really wrong about that." Faith held up her hands.

"I'm just saying that she's hot." Spike sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He loved Faith, but sometimes she was a bit much.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong with me. My last two girlfriends both turned out to be lesbians. That just can't be natural." Faith laughed and remembered him telling her about Tara last year. She loved to tease him about being the only guy she knew that could turn two girls against the opposite sex, but it was obviously a sensitive subject for him. It was still damn funny though.

"It could only happen to you, Will." She told him and he rolled his eyes again. She was the only one that ever got away with calling him that. "I wonder if Buffy is really gay and just doesn't know it yet." Spike then grabbed a pillow off of the bed and hit her with it as she laughed.

"Don't even joke about that." Faith calmed down long enough to answer him.

"I couldn't resist. Don't worry, I can tell she's straight. It's obvious with the way she looks at you, like you're the only guy in the world. It's enough to make me wanna hurl." She claimed as she dodged the pillow this time.

* * *

"It's not funny." Spike said and waited for the laughter to stop. 

"Sorry, you're right. I just can't believe that happened to you twice." Buffy told him as she started to laugh again.

"I don't even know why I told you." He mumbled and Buffy then felt bad as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, Spike. I'm just relieved that I don't have to be jealous of Faith. I know how important she is to you." Spike placed a kiss on her lips.

"You definitely don't have to be jealous. Even if she wasn't into women, things wouldn't have worked out with us. She's too much like a sister." Buffy nodded and then had an idea.

"You should invite Tara to come to the Bronze with us tonight. I would like to see her again." She said and Spike raised his eyebrows.

"You're not planning on setting her up with Faith, are you?" Buffy shrugged and moved away from him.

"It's just an idea, but I get how weird that would be for you." Spike shook his head.

"No, I actually think that might work. They could both use someone right now." Buffy smiled and was glad that he liked her idea.

"So, you'll call her?" She wondered and Spike nodded.

"I'll call her, but it might be difficult to get her away from those horses. She sometimes prefers them over people." Spike told her and Buffy nodded also. She could understand that. "I should get home before Faith eats all of the food in the house." He said and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he then walked out of the back door. Buffy watched him go and was about to head upstairs, when there was a knock on the front door. She sighed and went to answer it. She was then greeted by a very excited red head.

"You are never going to believe what happened." Willow said as she walked into the house. "I just had to come over here and tell you. I could have called, but this deserved to be said in person." Buffy grabbed Willow's shoulders to stop her rambling.

"Will, just tell me what it is." Willow tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths.

"Oz asked me out. I didn't even think that he noticed me, but he actually called and asked me out. I don't know how he got my number, but I don't even care. I told him to meet me at the Bronze tonight. This is so cool, Buffy. I never thought this could happen to me. I'm never the girl that guys notice." She said and Buffy had to smile at her friend's excitement.

"I'm really happy for you. He seems like a nice guy. Not much for talking, but that could be a good thing." Buffy said and Willow nodded in agreement.

"I have to get ready. See you tonight." She said as she ran out of the house and Buffy smiled again. It would be great if Willow found someone. She had a feeling things would work out for her friend.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Spike was at the Bronze and watched the two girls talk in the distance. He smiled when Buffy sat down next to him. "So, things seem to be going well over there." She said and Spike nodded as he continued to watch them interact with each other. He thought it would feel weird to see both of his ex-girlfriends getting along so well, but it really didn't. He was just happy that they liked each other, they've been talking for about 20 minutes and even got some dancing in. Faith's dancing was a bit different than Tara's, but Faith was willing to teach her some moves. They caused a group of guys to form around them, but the girls only had eyes for each other. Buffy's attention moved to another area on the dance floor and a smile graced her lips. Willow and Oz seemed to be getting along pretty well also. Willow was laughing at something he said and her whole face lit up. Buffy couldn't remember ever seeing her friend so happy before. She was glad that everyone was paired up. Spike finally looked at Buffy after a few minutes.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked her and she nodded. He then took her hand and pulled her on to the dance floor. They wrapped their arms around each other and started to move to the slow song that was now playing. Buffy looked around her to see all of the couples doing the same thing, some a little closer than others. She smiled and rested her head on Spike's shoulder. She never thought that any of this would ever happen to her. She had an amazing boyfriend that she loved and that loved her back. Things couldn't possibly get any better than that.

* * *

"God, Spike. That feels so good. Right there, don't stop." Buffy moaned as Spike continued to massage her shoulders. 

"You like that?" He whispered in her ear, which sent shivers up and down her spine.

"Yes, go a little lower." She said and he was happy to oblige. They were at his house because Giles had to go out of town again. Buffy couldn't get any privacy at her house. He started to place soft kisses on her neck as he ran his fingers all over her body. Buffy giggled when he tickled her. That was always her weakness. She was never able to keep a secret when she was younger, all anyone had to do was tickle her and she would spill her guts. He then wrapped his arms around her as they both lay back in his bed. Buffy traced her fingers over his chest. "So, what do you want for Christmas?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I don't need anything. I have everything I want right here." He told her and then planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I should get you something." Spike nodded and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm sure I'll love whatever you decide to get." He said and Buffy gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Are you working at the Mall this weekend?" She wondered and he nodded again.

"I only have to on Saturday, so I'm all yours after that." She smiled and rested her head on his chest. "I talked to Faith earlier today. She called me from the farm. It looks like the two of them really hit it off. She was even talking about staying there for a little while. That's a relief; the bloody bint ate all of my hot pockets." He said with a pout and Buffy laughed.

"Aww, you poor thing. You know you're gonna miss her." She said in a teasing tone and Spike shrugged.

"Maybe a little, but I'll get more shower time now. She takes forever on just her hair. I don't think I ever want to live with a woman again. It's a bloody nightmare." He said and Buffy knew that the conversation was about to take a serious turn.

"What about when we decide to live together?" She wondered in a soft voice and Spike looked down at her. He raised her head, so she was looking at him.

"You think about that?" Buffy felt her cheeks get red under his gaze, but she figured they needed to have this conversation.

"I think about the future. I'm not saying anything has to happen right now, but I do hope that we would live together some day. Does that freak you out?" She asked a little worried. Spike only gave her a soft smile and shook his head.

"No, it doesn't freak me out. I think about that, too." Buffy sighed in relief and then rested her head back on his chest. They were quiet for a while, until Buffy spoke up again.

"I should really be studying for my test." She said and he held her tighter.

"I have more important studying for you to do." He told her in a husky voice and then kissed her passionately on the lips. All thoughts of school went out of her head after that.

* * *

Buffy walked into school a little late the next day and hoped that her 15 minutes of studying that she actually did would be enough. She would usually always get good grades anyway. She headed to her locker and smiled when she saw Willow there. She was talking with Oz and he walked away, leaving a big smile on her friend's face. "That must have been a really good conversation." Buffy said and Willow smiled even bigger. 

"He's so great, Buffy. We're going out this weekend, just the two of us. It would be my first official date. Yep, I'm dating now." She claimed and Buffy laughed as she opened her locker.

"I'm really happy for you." Buffy stopped when she noticed a rose in her locker attached with a note. She took it out and read the note. It said: _I'm always thinking about you_. She smiled and showed it to Willow.

"That was sweet of Spike." She stated and Buffy agreed as she started to get the books that she would need for the day. The note wasn't signed, but Spike was the only person it could have been from. She wondered when he managed to come to the school to leave it in her locker. She didn't worry about that and just thought about the sweet gesture. She would have to thank him later. She closed her locker and then walked to class with Willow, not knowing that she was being watched.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Buffy smiled when she got to her house and found a small box at the front door. She picked it up and walked inside, not opening it until she reached her room. She sat on her bed and then opened the box to reveal a beautiful, silver necklace. Spike was just full of surprises. She put the necklace on and went over to her mirror to check it out. She didn't expect him to give her anything until Christmas, but she wasn't about to turn away the gift. She'd have to be crazy to do that. She was brought out of her reverie when Spike walked into her room. "See, I used the door this time. Aren't you proud of me?" He asked her with a smile and she gave him a smile of her own as she went to hug him.

"You are the sweetest guy in the whole world." She told him and Spike was confused as he hugged her back.

"If this is the response I get, I think I'll continue to use the door." Buffy pulled away and kissed him on the lips.

"Thanks for the necklace. It's very beautiful." Spike grabbed Buffy's arms gently and pushed her away, so he was looking into her eyes.

"You lost me, love. That's not from me." He said as he pointed to the necklace that she was wearing. "I haven't made enough to pay for your present yet." It was Buffy's turn to be confused now.

"You didn't leave this at the door?" She asked and he shook his head.

"If it was from me, I would have given it to you in person." Buffy then realized that the necklace didn't come with a note. She figured Spike would have written something.

"Wait, I found a rose in my locker today. You didn't put it there?" She wondered and Spike shook his head again.

"I'm not going to return to a school that I don't go to anymore to put a flower in your locker. Again, I would have done it in person." He explained and Buffy then went into her backpack to take out the rose and the note that she found in her locker.

"This was with it." She said as she handed him the note and watched as he read it. He really didn't look happy.

"Who the bloody hell is this from?" He asked her like she was supposed to know the answer.

"I don't know, I thought it was you." Spike calmed down when he noticed how scared Buffy looked. He threw the note away and wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you know of anyone that it could be from?" He asked her in a softer tone and she shook her head.

"I have no idea. I'm not exactly popular; I don't know who could have given me this." She said as she took the necklace off and placed it back in the box. She didn't want anything to do with it anymore. "I'm scared, Spike. This person has obviously been following me around. They knew how to get into my locker and they know where I live." Spike grew angry as he held her tighter.

"If I find out who it is, I'll make him pay for ever laying eyes on you." He stated and Buffy shut her eyes tight as she continued to let him hold her, neither knowing what to say after that.

* * *

"Not only are you dating the hottest guy ever, but you now have a secret admirer. You're so lucky." Dawn said after Buffy told them what happened. 

"This isn't a good thing, Dawn. This guy has been following me. It's just really creepy and I have no idea who it could be." She explained and Dawn didn't really think about that.

"Sounds like you have yourself a stalker. I had one before, so annoying. I felt all flattered and everything, but the poor guy just wouldn't take the hint. Oh, maybe it's the same guy. He probably realized he couldn't get anywhere with me and decided to move on to my sister. God, how desperate will some people get?" Harmony said and the other two girls stared at her. "Not that he'd have to be desperate to want you or anything." She said to try and make it sound better, but Buffy just rolled her eyes. She then turned back to Dawn.

"What am I gonna do? I'll be constantly worrying about this at school now. I don't want some guy to be watching my every move." Buffy claimed as she sat down on her bed, suddenly wishing that Spike didn't already graduate.

"Maybe you could find a guy and pretend like you're with him, so the creepy guy will back off. You'll have to find a really big guy though. Like someone on the football team." Dawn told her and Harmony actually agreed with that idea.

"Yeah, like that'll happen. I'm not exactly popular with the jocks. I would never lower myself to actually pretend to be with one of them anyway. No, this is just something I'll have to handle on my own. Maybe it's not as bad as I think. I'm probably getting all worked up over nothing. We'll soon be out of school for winter break and this whole thing will probably just blow over. I'll just ignore it. He'll probably realize that I'm not interested and leave me alone." Buffy said more to herself than her sisters. She really wished she could believe that.

* * *

Buffy walked the halls of Sunnydale High the next day and tried not to feel afraid. She knew she was making herself crazy and tried to put the supposed stalker out of her head. She was headed to her locker and not paying attention, when she bumped into a hard chest. She would have fallen down if it wasn't for the strong arms that were now holding her. "Sorry about that, didn't see you." He said and Buffy raised her head to look at him. He was tall and definitely not bad to look at, but she couldn't seem to recognize him. She shook her head when she realized that he spoke. 

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't really paying attention." He gave her a warm smile and then let her arms go.

"I guess that happens. I'm Riley Finn, I just moved here about a month ago. I still don't know my way around all that well. This is a bigger school than what I'm used to." He said and Buffy nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, don't worry. I've been here for almost 3 years now and I still manage to get lost. I'm Buffy Summers, by the way." He shook her hand and let it go after a few seconds.

"Right, I've seen you around." He told her and Buffy didn't know why that statement suddenly made her nervous, but she just shook it off.

"Well, I should really be getting to class now. Maybe we can talk again later." Buffy said and really wanted to be elsewhere at the moment. He seemed like a nice guy, but looks could always be deceiving. She was finding it hard to trust anyone right now.

"Yeah, count on it." He replied with a friendly smile and then walked off in the other direction. Buffy sighed in relief and continued the walk to her locker. She just really wanted the day to be over.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Buffy walked out of her last class and headed to her locker. She stopped suddenly when she saw Riley in the distance. She felt scared for some reason and then turned and walked in the other direction. She knew she was probably just being paranoid, but she didn't want to take any chances. She went the long way to get to her locker and sighed when she finally reached it. She really wanted to go home. Buffy opened the locker and gulped when she saw another rose in there and this one was already dead. Her hands were shaking when she grabbed the note that was also inside. She took a deep breath before she read it and grew even more scared. It said: _He will never love you like I do_. Buffy didn't know what to think as she dropped it to the floor. She closed her locker and turned around, only to bump into someone. She noticed it was Riley and felt her hands shake again. "Are you okay?" He wondered and she tried to stay calm as she answered him.

"I…I'm fine. I need to get home now." She said as she walked around him and headed out of the school. She felt relieved when she made it outside, but the relief didn't last. Her arm was jerked suddenly and she was pulled behind the school, where it was pretty deserted. She was about to scream, until that same person placed a hand over her mouth.

"There's no need for that. I won't hurt you." Buffy didn't really recognize the voice, but it didn't sound friendly. "I'm going to remove my hand now and you have to promise not to scream. You understand?" She could only nod as the hand was taken off of her mouth. She then turned around carefully to see who her stalker was and she couldn't really believe it.

"Warren?" She said and a creepy smile lit up his face.

"Sorry if I scared you, I didn't know how else to get you alone." He told her and Buffy was really confused. Warren was one of the geekiest guys in school. He was great with Science and always got teased by the popular kids. She stood up for him once last year when a few of the jocks were tormenting him. He has hardly said anything to her since then. She finally spoke after being quiet for at least a minute.

"What are you doing? Are you the one that's been following me around?" She had to be sure, but he only ignored her question.

"Did you get my necklace? I see you're not wearing it." He told her and that was the answer she needed.

"Okay, this is crazy. You can't just get me an expensive gift like that. You don't even know me. I have a boyfriend and you're just making both of us uncomfortable." Warren's gaze darkened at that and Buffy was actually afraid.

"What, that Billy Idol wannabe? You think he could ever get you something like that? He's not good enough for you. We have something special, Buffy. I felt it when you rescued me from those jerks. You wouldn't have done that if you didn't care." Buffy felt like laughing if the situation wasn't so serious.

"That's what you're basing this on? I did it because I'm a nice person and I don't like to see anyone get teased like that. I would have probably done it for anyone. That was a year ago, okay? I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, but there's nothing between us. I don't even really know you. I think you just need to let it go and find someone else." She was about to walk away, when Warren grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall.

"I won't believe that. We're meant to be together. I can feel it and I know you can, too. I've seen you looking at me in class sometimes. What we have is real and I'm not about to let you get away." Buffy tried to push him away and wasn't having much luck. He was stronger than he looked.

"You're hurting my arm." He loosened his grip a little, but still wouldn't let her go. "You don't know what you're talking about. This is some sick obsession of yours. It could never be real. Let me go." She said in a surprisingly calm voice and Warren wouldn't listen.

"I love you, Buffy. I'll make you feel it." He then grabbed her tighter and pulled her closer to him, planting a hard kiss on her mouth. Buffy was beyond grossed out as she finally managed to shove him away from her. She wiped at her mouth and had to try not to gag.

"You really are a freak. I never believed what anyone said about you, but now I'm starting to see it. You have some serious issues. Stay the hell away from me." She spat as she started to walk away again, only to have him grab her by the hair and slam her back against the wall.

"I will have you, bitch!" He yelled this time and had pure anger on his face. Buffy didn't know what to do as he started to slip his hand under her shirt. She tried to get away from him.

"Don't touch me!" She retaliated and he slapped her hard across the face to shut her up. She touched her stinging cheek and looked into his cold eyes.

"I don't like to be told what to do." He stated as he continued to grope her and Buffy was too scared to do anything else, when Warren was suddenly pulled away from her.

"I don't believe the lady wanted you to touch her." Her rescuer said and Buffy has never been so relieved to see Riley. Warren glared at both of them.

"This isn't over." He told Buffy as he then took off running. Buffy sighed in relief when he was gone and then felt tears in her eyes. She wiped at her eyes before Riley could see.

"Are you okay?" He repeated his question from earlier and Buffy nodded. It was a good thing to hear right now.

"I just want to go home." She stated and couldn't stop the tears from falling now. Riley nodded and led her away from the school.

"Yeah, I'll take you." He told her and she didn't say anything else as she followed him to his car. He let her in on the passenger side and then got in on his side. He started the car and drove to her house; the only words Buffy spoke were the directions. She was too scared to say anything else. She really needed Spike.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Riley stopped the car in front of Buffy's house and she didn't move for a few seconds. She then looked up and felt more tears form in her eyes when she saw Spike walk out of his house. She suddenly got out of the car and ran over to him, Riley not that far behind. Spike was confused when he saw her get out of another man's car and even more confused when she attacked him in a big hug. He wrapped his arms around her and could tell that she was crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked and all she could manage was a shake of the head. Riley finally caught up to her and gave Spike a smile.

"She had some trouble at school. I was just giving her a ride home." Spike nodded and wondered what could have happened. He was about to ask Buffy again, when Dawn and Harmony then walked out of their house and noticed Buffy.

"What happened?" Dawn asked as she went over to her sister.

"I don't know yet. Could you two take her inside?" They nodded and Spike let Buffy go, only to have her hold on to him tighter. "It's okay, love. I just want to talk to your friend here. I'll be right inside." He told her and she managed to let go after a few seconds. Dawn and Harmony each grabbed one of her hands and pulled her into the house. Spike then turned back to Riley when they were gone. "What happened to her?" He asked and hoped that this other man wasn't responsible for the way she was acting.

"It looked like this guy was getting rough with her outside of the school. I'm new here and I didn't really know who he was, but it didn't look like he was a friend. I hate to say this, but it looked like he was trying to rape her." Spike felt pure rage at the thought of anyone touching Buffy in that way. "I tried getting her to talk in the car, but she wouldn't say anything. She's pretty shaken up." Spike nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thanks, mate. I'm glad you got there when you did. My name's Spike, I'm Buffy's boyfriend." He said as he held his hand out and Riley shook it.

"Riley Finn, nice to meet you." He replied and they dropped their hands. "You have yourself a great girl there." Riley told him and Spike agreed.

"Yeah, I should probably check on her. Thanks again." He said and Riley nodded as Spike made his way over to Buffy's house. He really hoped she was okay.

* * *

Buffy went to hug Spike again when he entered her room. He returned the hug and sat down on her bed, pulling Buffy down with him. "It's going to be okay, baby. I've got you now." He told her in a comforting voice. 

"I was so scared." She whispered and Spike nodded as he held her tighter. He gave her a few moments and then finally pulled away to look at her.

"Who was he, love? Is this the bloke that sent you the necklace?" Buffy nodded and took a deep breath before she told him.

"It was Warren Mears. He's in a few of my classes. I helped him out last year when a few guys were picking on him. He seems to think that we're meant to be together from that. I always knew he was weird, but I never thought he was crazy. I didn't think he would actually try and hurt me. I heard that he once built a robot girlfriend. I never really believed it, but now I'm not so sure. He seems pretty desperate. He said he wasn't finished with me. I don't even want to think about what he would do next." She explained in a shaky voice and Spike took everything in.

"You have to report this, Buffy. He'll never leave you alone if you don't." Buffy nodded and wiped at her eyes, she didn't even realize that she was crying again.

"I don't want to go to the police. I don't even have any real proof, but I can talk to Principal Wood tomorrow. I know he'll believe me." Spike nodded also and figured that was better than nothing.

"Okay, but I'm going with you. I'm sure he wouldn't try anything with me around." He stated and Buffy shook her head.

"I can't have you do that. You have your own classes to deal with. I'm not even sure how I would explain that." Spike tucked a lock of hair behind her ear; there was no way he was letting her go to school alone.

"I'll tell them that I just decided to visit. A lot of graduates come back to visit their old teachers. I can miss one day of classes, this is more important. I don't want you out of my sight." He told her and she gave him another hug. It was great to have someone that cared about her like that. If it was possible, she loved him even more.

"You're too good to me." She told him as she rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her.

"No one hurts my girl." He said and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "If I see him though, I won't be held responsible for what I do. You may need to hold me back." Buffy laughed at that and Spike was just glad to cheer her up a little.

"I'm pretty sure you can take him." She responded and Spike agreed.

"You're damn right I can. I remember that ponce from last year. He was always walking around with his nose in a book, caused a few accidents that way. Those are the ones you usually need to look at for. It's always the quiet ones." Buffy nodded and decided to change the subject.

"So, Riley seems nice. There's no telling what could have happened if he didn't show up. I don't even want to think about it. I can't believe I actually thought that he was the stalker. I think he might have a crush on me though." Spike shook his head and didn't know how to break this to her.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't think you're the one he's crushing on. Trust me, I can always tell. I saw the way he was looking at your sister when she came out of the house." Buffy then pulled away to look at him.

"Wait, are you saying that he likes Dawn?" Spike laughed and shook his head again.

"No, I was talking about Harmony. Yeah, I wouldn't really believe it either." He said when he saw the look on her face.

"Wow, I never would have guessed. Riley seems a lot smarter than that, not that I think Harmony's so stupid or anything. She can actually be smart when she puts her mind to something, every now and then. She just doesn't seem like his type. You know, this could actually be a good thing for her. She needs a guy like him. Maybe I could set something up; things went well with Faith and Tara." Spike placed a finger on her lips to quiet her. She could sometimes go on forever.

"I think you just need to worry about yourself right now. If it's meant to be, it has a way of working itself out." He said as he removed his finger and Buffy nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, guess you're right. My mom should be home soon, so you should probably go. I'm hoping everything with Warren will just go away tomorrow. I don't need her to know about it. This is the last week before we're out for winter break and I want to have a peaceful holiday. I won't let some creepy guy ruin everything." Spike smiled and gave her a peck on the lips.

"That's the spirit. Don't forget, I'll be going with you tomorrow." He said and she wasn't about to forget. He gave her one more kiss and then left the room. Buffy just watched him go and lay back in her bed. She really hoped everything would work out, but she felt a lot better knowing that Spike would be with her.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"So, what did the principal say?" Spike asked Buffy when she left the office the next day.

"He said he would talk to Warren's parents. It looks like he didn't even come to school today. I guess you really didn't need to come with me." Spike shrugged as he walked with her to class.

"I still don't mind it." Buffy stopped suddenly to look at him.

"Spike, I'll be fine the rest of the day. You should get back to your school." She held her hand up when it looked like he was going to argue with her. "I'll be fine. Not that I don't love having you here, but I really don't need a babysitter." She told him.

"I would prefer bodyguard." Spike said with a pout and Buffy rolled her eyes. That wouldn't work on her this time.

"I'll see you when I get home. Love you." She said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and then walked away. Spike sighed as he watched her go. He knew that she could probably take care of herself, but he would always worry about her.

* * *

"You are never going to believe this." Buffy said to Spike when she got home from school. She went to his house and was now sitting on his bed. "I talked to Principal Wood after school and he told me some interesting things about Warren. It looks like I won't even have to worry about him anymore. His parents took him out of school. Apparently, Warren has been having a lot of problems. He did the same thing to another girl in his last school. He would follow her around and send her creepy notes. It got so bad that she filed a restraining order against him. His parents then relocated here and Warren swore that he was all better, but it looks like he needs some mental help. They heard of a special clinic in Los Angeles and they decided to move there. It makes you wonder how many schools he's actually been to." Spike nodded as he took everything in. This bloke really did sound crazy, he was just glad that Buffy didn't get really hurt. 

"Well, at least that's taken care of." He said and Buffy agreed.

"Tell me about it, I don't think I've ever been so relieved. I'm just happy that I get to enjoy Christmas now and not be worried about this anymore. It will be a story to tell the grandkids though." She said with a smile and Spike couldn't resist smiling with her. He loved that Buffy thought about things like that. He already knew that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

* * *

"Come on, you won't even give him a chance?" Buffy said later that day and was dealing with a very stubborn Harmony. 

"Okay, it's really pathetic when my little sister has to set me up. I'm not interested, end of story." She replied and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"He's a really nice guy and you could use someone like that. You always date losers, no offense. I'm only looking out for you here." Harmony raised her eyebrows at that. "I know how crazy it sounds, but that doesn't make it any less true. Could you at least meet him and go on one date? If you don't like him, then I won't bother you again. You did sort of already meet him, so there shouldn't be any pressure." Buffy mentioned and hoped she was getting through to her older sister.

"When did I meet him?" Harmony asked her.

"You didn't really meet, but you saw him once. His name's Riley, he was the guy that brought me home the other day." Harmony thought about it and then realized who Buffy was talking about.

"Oh, I guess he is kinda cute. Not really my type though." Buffy let out a sigh.

"That's the point. Will you at least give him a chance?" Harmony was about to respond, when Spike then walked into the room and picked Buffy up. He threw her over his shoulder and she let out a squeal in surprise.

"I'm just going to borrow her." He told Harmony and she just nodded. He then walked out of the room with Buffy, who was now banging her tiny fists against his back.

"Spike, put me down! What are you doing?" He finally put her down when they reached her room.

"I was getting you out of there. We talked about this, Buffy. What did I tell you about the matchmaking?" Buffy rolled her eyes and felt another lecture coming on.

"You told me to just let things happen on their own and to not get involved, but things aren't going to happen if I don't give it a push in the right direction. I was only trying to help." Spike sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I know you were and I love you for that, but you have to let them make their own decisions. If Harmony isn't interested, then you can't force her be. That's just how things are." Buffy pouted and knew the effect that would have on Spike.

"I just want everyone to be happy, especially around Christmas." She said and Spike then wrapped his arms around her.

"I know you do, love. You have such a huge heart, but you just have to trust me. These things have a way of working themselves out, okay?" He felt her nod against his chest and he figured that was the best he would get from her. "Like our other match. I talked to Faith; she's planning on moving out of England to be closer to Tara. I never thought that girl would ever leave London, but it looks like she was finally motivated to do so. Ain't love grand?" Buffy laughed now and pulled away to look at Spike.

"This is good, right?" She wondered suddenly serious and Spike nodded as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It's very good, they're both happy and that's all I've ever wanted. It's even better if I don't have to witness Faith hitting on you again." Buffy raised her eyebrows and clearly didn't know about that. Spike decided to clarify for her. "Basically, she thinks you're hot. I caught her checking out your ass once and I smacked her in the head for that. I'm the only one that gets to look." Buffy was surprised and actually felt pretty flattered by the attention. Not that being a lesbian is anything that she would pursue, but she could still have some fun with Spike.

"You know, Faith is pretty attractive. I've actually thought about crossing over a few times myself." She told him with a smile and Spike groaned.

"Oh, bloody hell. If that happens to me a third time, I'm jumping off a cliff." Buffy laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I would be very upset if you did that. I was just having some fun with you. No worries, I love men way too much." She laughed harder when he started to tickle her.

"I better be the only man, Goldilocks." He continued to tickle her and she was finding it hard to breathe through the laughter. "Say it, Buffy. Say I'm the only man you would ever love." She tried to talk as his hands continued to attack her.

"Okay, I give. You're the only man I would ever love." She finally got out and Spike stopped his torture.

"Now, was that so hard?" She shook her head as she walked out of her room and headed to the stairs. She turned to look at Spike one more time.

"Oh, except for Will Smith. That is one sexy man." She laughed again when Spike chased her down the stairs. She could definitely get used to this.


	29. Chapter 29

I wanted this chapter to be in yesterday, but that didn't really work out. So, here it is for your belated Christmas pleasure. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

**Chapter 29**

It was finally Christmas morning and everyone was gathered at the Summers house, including Giles and Spike. They all decided to get together for the holiday; they were practically family after all. Dawn always felt like a little kid again when it was Christmas. She would always be the first one up, making sure to wake everyone else up in the process. She was even more excited this year because Spike and Giles both got her a puppy. Joyce assured them that it would be okay and Dawn promised not to let anything happen to this one. She decided to name the puppy, Amber because of her coloring. Everyone was happy with all the presents that they received and they then went their separate ways, until it was time for Christmas dinner. Buffy and Spike were sitting in her room. They wanted to exchange their gifts in private. "I know it's not much, but I hope you like it anyway." Spike said as he handed Buffy a small box, with a red ribbon around it. She smiled as she took it from him. She was positive that she would like anything from him. She opened the box and pulled out the charm bracelet that was inside. "I remember you saying that you always wanted one. I even put two charms on it for you to start out with." He explained and she noticed that the two charms were of a horse and a pair of ice skates. She also used to love to skate when she was little. She looked up at Spike.

"Thank you, it's really beautiful." She told him sincerely.

"You really like it?" Spike asked because he wanted to make sure. She only nodded and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love it." She put the bracelet on and gave him another kiss, this time on the lips. He was relieved that she liked it and she then went over to her closet to get his present. Spike wondered what she could have possibly gotten him. His jaw dropped when he saw what it was.

"Bloody hell, Buffy." He said in awe as he got up and walked over to her.

"You like it?" He nodded and could hardly form any thoughts at the moment. She was holding a framed poster of Billy Idol that was autographed. They were very rare and pretty expensive.

"It's amazing, pet. How did you afford this?" He wondered and Buffy shrugged.

"I had some money saved up, I also sold Warren's necklace." She told him and Spike smiled as he looked at her.

"Thanks, love. This is really great." He said as he took the poster from her and continued to stare at it. Buffy knew that he was a huge fan of Billy Idol. It was meeting him at a concert years ago that inspired Spike's look.

"So, was it a good Christmas?" She asked and he wrapped one arm around her. He then placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Best Christmas." He commented and she had to agree.

* * *

"Who knew you had such good taste, kid?" Harmony said as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. She was wearing the new sweater that Dawn got for her. 

"I'm not a kid; I just saw it and thought of you. I kinda felt bad for ruining your other one." Dawn said and still couldn't believe she was saying this to Harmony. Things really have changed between them.

"Well, it's pretty cool." Harmony said as she looked at Dawn. "Thanks, you're really not so bad." Dawn shrugged and let a small smile grace her lips.

"Yeah, I guess you're not so bad either. You know, when you're not talking." Harmony rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her face.

* * *

"Spike, we really should get downstairs now." Buffy panted as Spike trailed kisses down her neck. 

"We can be a little late." He replied without breaking contact.

"We shouldn't be doing this with our family here." Spike shrugged and pulled away to look at her.

"I'll keep quiet if you will." He said with a smirk and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Okay, but not in front of Billy." Spike stopped and then turned to see that the poster was by the bed and staring right at them. He got up and turned the poster, so it was facing the other direction. He then smiled and crawled back to Buffy.

"Now, where were we?" She laughed as he pounced on her.

* * *

"I wonder what is taking them so long." Joyce said as everyone else was sitting at the table. Dawn and Harmony exchanged looks with each other. They both knew what the two blondes were up to, but they weren't about to say anything. 

"I'm sure they will be coming soon." Giles said and Dawn snickered at that as Harmony kicked her lightly under the table, also trying not to laugh. She was surprised at the dirty mind her little sister had.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will. I give them at least 5 more minutes." Dawn stated and Harmony rolled her eyes.

"Please, it'll probably be closer to 10." She mumbled and Dawn tried not to laugh again as Joyce and Giles continued to stare at them in confusion.

* * *

"Okay, we really have to get downstairs now. They're probably wondering what's taking us so long." Buffy said as she put her clothes back on and Spike did the same. 

"I'm sure your sisters know exactly what we were doing." He told her with that irritating smirk again.

"Right, we really need to get down there." She said as she headed to the door, only to be stopped by Spike grabbing her arm.

"You might want to do something about your hair, pet. Not that I don't love it like that, but you look like a woman that was just royally shagged." He stated and Buffy realized he was right when she caught her reflection in the mirror. She brushed her hair as fast as she could and then just decided to put it up in a pony tail. She grabbed his hand and then headed downstairs to join the rest of their family.

* * *

"Ha, 10 minutes exactly. Pay up, sister." Harmony said as she held her hand out. Dawn groaned and gave her the 5 dollars. Harmony smiled as she put it in her pocket. Buffy glared at both of them as her and Spike sat down. 

"Sorry about the wait. Spike was helping me find something." Buffy said and Dawn placed her hand over her mouth as she started to laugh again. Buffy then kicked Dawn under the table, or who she thought was Dawn.

"Ow, bloody hell. Warn a bloke before you do that." Spike said as he rubbed his leg.

"Sorry," Buffy replied and Spike realized that she didn't look all that sorry. Joyce and Giles both rolled their eyes at their children's behavior and decided to ignore it as they all then enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner together.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

New Year's passed and it was soon Buffy's 17th birthday. She always had bad luck with her birthdays in the past and she made her mother promise not to give her a party this year. She just wanted a quiet birthday and she didn't want anyone to make a big deal, but Spike wouldn't have that. He got Joyce and everyone else involved, making sure that Buffy knew nothing about it. A young girl only turned 17 once. He took her out to the movies, so everyone at the house could get things ready. The movie ended about two hours later and they walked out of the theater hand in hand, both with confused expressions on their faces. "Well, that was very artistic." Buffy said to break the silence and Spike agreed.

"Yeah," was all he managed to say.

"Wasn't what I expected. I've never actually seen...Well, from the title I thought it was about food." She stated as she gripped his hand tighter.

"Well, there was food." He replied and Buffy nodded.

"Right, the scene with the food. That was…That was very interesting. I definitely won't be looking at food the same way again." Spike laughed this time and brought her hand to his mouth, giving it a soft kiss.

"I promise to take you to something with less food next time." Buffy smiled as they continued to walk in silence. She spoke up again when she realized they were headed to her house.

"You know, it's still pretty early. I don't have to go home yet." Spike shook his head as he looked at her.

"You're the birthday girl; I shouldn't keep you out too late. You should spend at least some of this day with your family." He told her and Buffy was a little suspicious. She pulled on his arm to stop him.

"You've been acting weird today. There wouldn't happen to be a surprise party or anything, would there?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Now, why would I do that? I know how much you're against it." Buffy pulled her hand out of his and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not buying that. If there's a party in there, you're not getting sex for at least a week." She said in a serious tone and Spike almost believed her.

"Well, that's just a risk I'll have to take." He said as he grabbed her hand again and they continued the walk to her house.

* * *

"Surprise!" Everyone yelled once Buffy and Spike walked into the house. Buffy put on a smile and acted surprised. She then turned a glare on Spike that she tried to hide with the smile. 

"You are so dead." She told him and he just gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you, too." She smiled for real this time and then went to join her family and friends. She saw that Cordelia was there, along with Xander and Anya. Riley was there also. He was talking with Harmony and Buffy smiled again. Harmony decided to go out with Riley a few weeks ago and she actually liked him. They were still dating and Buffy was happy for them. Buffy hugged Tara and Faith, who decided to leave the farm to be there for her birthday. Buffy was surprised that everyone managed to show up. She realized that surprise parties weren't all that bad.

* * *

Buffy was about ready to open her presents and everyone was gathered around her. "Open mine first, Buffy." Connor said as he pointed to a white box and Buffy wondered why he was so eager. 

"This won't explode, will it?" She asked him and he shook his head. Buffy took a deep breath and opened the box. She frowned when she saw what was inside. It was some skimpy lingerie that left nothing to the imagination. Spike was concerned when he saw the expression on her face and got a closer look at what was in the box. He then smacked Connor on the head and wiped the smile off of the boy's face.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked and Connor rubbed his head.

"Jeez, it was just a joke. You people really need to lighten up. I stole it from my sister. She has tons of slutty lingerie. The real present is underneath." Buffy rolled her eyes and handed him back the lingerie as she looked at what else was in the box. She found a pair of fuzzy socks and tried not to laugh.

"Thanks, you can never have too much socks." She told him and Connor was pleased that she liked it. She then put the box away and went to open another present. Dawn scowled at her boyfriend.

"Why do I put up with you?" She said and he shrugged as he looked at her.

"Because you love me." He replied and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I need to have my head examined." Buffy was tuning them out as she continued with the presents. She received a nice blouse from Willow, some make up from Harmony and Cordelia. She wasn't sure if she should take that as an insult or not. Harmony did say she could always use some, but she was perfectly fine with just her lip gloss. She gasped when she got to Anya's present. It was a book of different sexual positions and what to do to please your lover. She blushed bright red and Spike couldn't help the smile that graced his lips at that.

"What is it, honey?" Joyce asked and Buffy hid the gift from her mother's gaze.

"Just a book on poetry." She said quickly and Joyce seemed to buy it. Buffy was also relieved that her mother wasn't in the room when she opened the lingerie. She really needed some new friends. Joyce went back into the kitchen to join Giles and Buffy let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that, Buff. I tried to talk her out of it." Xander explained and she gave him a grateful smile.

"I appreciate the effort." She opened the rest of the presents and loved all of them. She thanked everyone for the gifts. Spike then gave her his gift and it was just an envelope. She was confused as she took it from him.

"This is also from Tara and Faith." He said and the two girls smiled as Buffy opened the envelope. She was even more confused when she saw that it was a picture of a horse. The horse was very beautiful, no doubt about that. She was white, with brown spots all over her.

"What's this about?" She asked him and Tara decided to be the one to tell her.

"This is, Drusilla. She's a new addition to the farm. She's also yours." Tara said and Buffy was surprised as she looked back at Spike. He still saw the confusion on her face and decided to explain better.

"I bought her for you, love. Tara and Faith will be taking care of her at the farm, but she's your horse. You can see her whenever you want." Buffy couldn't believe it as she looked at the picture and then back at her boyfriend.

"You bought me a horse?" Spike nodded and hoped that it was a good idea. She then smiled and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Spike. I've always wanted a horse." She said as she pulled out of the hug and looked back at the picture of her new pet. "She's so beautiful." She also thanked Tara and Faith and continued to stare at the picture. She looked back at Spike after a few seconds. "Can we see her tomorrow?" She asked and Spike smiled as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"We can do whatever you want, sweetheart." He told her and she hugged him again. It looked like her curse of bad birthdays was finally broken. This was one that she definitely didn't want to forget.


	31. Chapter 31

There is some major fluffiness in this chapter. It's best to avert your eyes if you're not interested in that. Well, you guys should enjoy it while it lasts. I honestly don't know how much longer this story is gonna be. So far it's my longest one yet and I'm pretty proud of that. I hope you guys like the chapter. Happy New Year!**  
**

**Chapter 31**

"She's so perfect." Buffy said as she continued to stroke Drusilla's mane. Spike kept his promise and they decided to visit the horse the next day. Tara and Faith were happy to have them over for the weekend. Drusilla already took a liking to Buffy and Spike knew that she would be the perfect choice for his girl. "I'm going to take her riding, Spike. I should be back soon." She told him as he helped her onto the horse.

"Be careful, love." She bent down to place a kiss on his lips and he held her, so she wouldn't fall over.

"I'm always careful." She said with a wink and then took off with Drusilla. Spike had a smile on his face as he watched her go. She always looked amazing when she was riding.

"Hey, bleach boy? Take a picture, it'll last longer." He was broken out of his reverie by Faith.

"I just wanted to make sure that she was okay." He commented and Faith rolled her eyes.

"Blondie can handle herself. She's real good when it comes to horses, which is more than I can say for myself." Spike raised his eyebrows at that.

"You actually rode a horse? You actually survived riding a horse?" Faith slapped him on the arm.

"Give me some credit, I do live here now. Besides, Tara wanted me to give it a try. Won't be trying that again anytime soon, it's really not my thing." She explained and Spike gave her a smile.

"So, how many times did you fall off?" Faith sighed and knew she couldn't get anything by him. He knew her way too well.

"I fell twice, okay? Are you satisfied now?" She said with a wounded expression and Spike started to feel guilty.

"Did you get hurt?" He wondered and she rolled her eyes again.

"Please, I'm a hard ass. You should know that better than anyone." She told him with a smirk and he rolled his eyes this time.

"Your hard ass needs to get back in the house. I'm trying to concentrate on Buffy here." He said and Faith figured that would be the perfect opportunity to make him uncomfortable again.

"Yeah, I don't blame you. I wouldn't mind concentrating on her either." She told him as she licked her lips and Spike groaned in irritation.

"Bloody hell, can you stop hitting on my girlfriend? You have your own now." Faith held up her hands in surrender.

"Just yanking your chain, man. Don't worry, she's all yours." He rolled his eyes again and looked away from her. Faith then slapped him on the ass and he jumped as she smiled and walked back into the house. He let out a sigh and ran his hands through his hair.

"That bint is going to be the bloody death of me." He said to himself as he stood there and waited for Buffy to come back. It was almost dark and there was still no sign of her. Spike was starting to get worried. He couldn't wait anymore. He headed to the stables and decided to borrow one of Tara's horses. He figured she wouldn't mind. He chose Lightning because he knew that was a horse he could handle. He mounted Lightning and then took off in the direction Buffy went.

* * *

He found Buffy sitting on the edge of a cliff; Drusilla was tied up to a nearby tree. He got off of Lightning and tied him up also. He then went to join Buffy, who didn't even look up at him when she spoke. "It's so beautiful here." She whispered and Spike sat down next to her. 

"Are you okay, love? You had me worried when you didn't come back." He wondered and she finally turned to look at him.

"Sorry about that, I guess I was finding it hard to leave. The sun was setting and it looked so amazing from up here." She explained and Spike agreed as he grasped her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze. Buffy looked at him and he was confused by the expression on her face. He couldn't remember ever seeing her so serious. She then caressed his cheek and he felt his eyes close at the touch of her. "Do you know how much I love you?" She said after a few seconds and he opened his eyes to look at her.

"I think I have some idea." He replied and she took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"This is all new to me. I don't even think I'm good with the words, but I'm willing to try. I love you so much, Spike. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. I'm so grateful to have you in my life. I don't even want to think about a life without you in it. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I just wanted you to know that. Everything you've done for me, it's more than I could ever ask for." Spike was starting to tear up at her declaration. No woman has ever made him feel so loved before. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, pressing light kisses all over her face.

"I love you, Buffy. I always will, nothing can ever change that. You're my whole world, sweetheart. My everything and I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy. I already don't know how to do anything else. This is it for me, Buffy. There will never be anyone else. Do you feel that, too?" He asked her and she started to feel tears of her own in her eyes.

"Yes, my heart will always belong to you." She responded as she then grabbed his hand and placed it over her heart. He smiled and did the same. The tears were falling freely down her face now. "I didn't mean to get so mushy on you." She said as she wiped at her eyes and he shook his head.

"You don't ever have to apologize for that. You weren't the only one." He hugged her again and just held her for what felt like forever. They both knew that they should probably head back before it was completely dark. They then mounted both of their horses and rode off into the night.


	32. Chapter 32

Okay, I think I need me some drama here. I just hope you guys wouldn't hate me too much for this chapter, I promise not to make it that bad. Just keep in mind that I'm all about the happy endings. I still have no idea how much longer this story is gonna be, but I'm thinking it might not be that much longer. I think I'm finally starting to get out of ideas. Anyway, I really hope you guys like this chapter. I'm a little nervous about it, so any reviews would be of the good. I hope everyone has a good and safe New Year's!

**Chapter 32**

"I'm pregnant." Spike stared at Buffy in shock.

"You're what?" He wondered and she just gave him a smile.

"Kidding, I was hoping that would get some reaction out of you. What's wrong, Spike? You've been all spacey since we got back from visiting Tara and Faith. Did something happen that I don't know about?" She asked and Spike shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong, I've just been thinking about some things lately." He told her.

"What things? Hopefully not another girl." Spike smiled and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"You never have to worry about that. So, are we alone in the house? It's been pretty quiet." He said with a smirk and Buffy figured he just wanted to change the subject.

"I think Harmony's downstairs with Riley. I know I'm mainly responsible for them being together, but they're so gross sometimes. I already walked in on them once and I'm still hoping to get that visual out of my head." Spike laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I have ways of taking your mind off of it." He said as he kissed her and she pushed him away after a few seconds.

"As tempting as that is, I really have to study. My mom freaked when I got a C on my last test. She thinks you're starting to corrupt me." Spike knew that Buffy never got anything lower than a B+ in school. They have been spending a lot of time together. He probably should have taken it more seriously when she said she needed to study.

"Right, I should let you get to that then. Anything you need help with?" He asked and she shook her head as she looked through her books.

"Not if I actually want to pass." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Ha bloody ha, I was always good in school." Buffy nodded as she looked back at him.

"Of course you were. You passed lunch with flying colors." Buffy laughed when he grabbed her and threw her on the bed.

"I'll show you just how good I am." He said as he got on top of her and attacked her mouth in a hard kiss. He slipped his hand under her shirt and started to caress the smooth skin that he found there. Buffy shivered and then pulled away to breathe.

"Spike, I really need to study." He nodded as he lay beside her and rubbed her stomach.

"You know, it wasn't right of you to say that you were pregnant. You got my hopes up and everything." He stated and Buffy wasn't expecting that.

"You actually wanted me to be pregnant?" Spike shrugged and looked into her eyes.

"I'm not saying it's something I want now. Definitely not when we're both still in school, but I do want that. I always dream about having everything with you, Buffy. The house with the white, picket fence and maybe 2 or 3 kids. We can get a big enough yard for Drusilla to run around in and maybe get a dog or a cat for the little ones." He said all of this with his head down and when he looked back up at her, she had tears in her eyes. He hoped he didn't say anything wrong.

"You really think about that?" She wondered and he took a deep breath.

"What we have is forever, love. I just need to know if that's something you would want." Buffy wiped at her eyes and then nodded.

"I want everything you just said. When we're both old enough to handle it. I just hope you won't get sick of me before then." She said and let some of her insecurities shine through. Spike shook his head and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Never going to happen." He whispered and she really believed it.

"Well, we have our whole lives to think about that. We don't have to rush into anything." She said and Spike agreed. He then lay back in her bed and stared up at the ceiling as Buffy finally got some studying done.

* * *

"Do you know what that movie was about?" Buffy asked Spike when they walked out of the theater the next day. 

"I haven't got a bloody clue, but I don't think there was any food involved." Buffy laughed and grasped his hand as they headed to the Bronze.

"I think we should probably pay attention next time." She told him and he smiled at her.

"I liked watching you instead." She blushed and didn't think she would ever get used to his endearments. They finally made it to the Bronze, where they were supposed to be meeting their friends. Spike had other ideas and decided to pull her over to the alley behind the club.

"Spike, we should get inside. They'll be wondering what's taking us so long." He shrugged and pushed her gently against the wall.

"I'm sure they'll figure it out. I want at least 5 minutes alone with you before we deal with the group." He started to leave light kisses on her neck and she forgot what they were talking about. Oh well, 5 minutes wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"I wonder what's taking Buffy and Spike so long. The movie should have been over by now." Willow said and Anya was the first one to make a comment. 

"They're probably having orgasms. I hope Buffy put that book to use." Willow rolled her eyes and everyone else just ignored Anya. They were pretty much used to her bluntness by now.

* * *

Spike and Buffy tried to fix themselves up before they walked into the Bronze. They were about to walk out of the alley, when another man stopped them. "Give me all your money." He said in a shaky voice and Spike held his hand up as he made sure Buffy was safely behind him. 

"We don't have anything on us, mate. We don't want any trouble." Spike explained and the man wasn't listening.

"I think you already found it." He said as he pulled a gun out of his pocket and aimed it at them. Buffy grew really scared as she held on to Spike and her boyfriend was trying to reason with him.

"Okay, just calm down. You don't really want to do this. Just give me the gun and no one has to know." Spike said and the man looked like he didn't know what to do, but he really needed money.

"I'm not afraid to use this." He said as his eyes gazed on Buffy and she felt uncomfortable under his stare. "That's a nice necklace your girl has there." Buffy touched the cross necklace that her mother gave her and really didn't want to part with it, but she would if it meant getting out of there safely. The man didn't wait for a response and went to grab Buffy. She backed away and Spike then shoved him away from her. His finger slipped on the trigger and the gun went off. Spike grabbed Buffy and pulled her to the ground. The man realized what happened and took off in the other direction. Spike sighed in relief when he was gone.

"It's okay now, pet. That was a close one." He said as he pulled away and noticed the blood stain on his shirt. He touched the blood and realized that it wasn't his. He looked at Buffy lying there and saw the gunshot wound in her abdomen. Spike panicked when he saw that her eyes were closed. He felt for a pulse and was relieved when he found one, but it was pretty weak. "Buffy? Baby, talk to me. You have to wake up." He tried to get through to her, but she wouldn't open her eyes. He didn't know what else to do and then remembered that he had his cell phone with him. He pulled it out of his pocket and quickly dialed 911. He explained what happened to the woman that answered and told them to hurry up with an ambulance. Spike hung up when they said they were on their way. He looked at Buffy and tried to stop the bleeding as much as he could. "The ambulance is coming, Buffy. You're going to be fine. You have to be." He whispered the last part and then rested his head against hers. He just hoped they got there soon. He didn't think she could hold on much longer and that was a thought that terrified him more than anything else. She had to be okay.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Spike was waiting with everyone at the hospital. Willow and the others came outside when they heard the gunshot. They waited with Spike for the ambulance to arrive. He was the only one that rode with her to the hospital. The others arrived in their own cars and Xander decided to be the one to call Joyce because Spike was too shaken up to do it. Joyce arrived minutes later, with Dawn and Harmony. Giles agreed to give them all a ride over there since Joyce didn't think she could handle driving right now. It was about an hour later and the waiting was making all of them crazy. Buffy was taken into surgery and they haven't found out anything yet. Joyce finally saw the doctor walk over to them and she got up to greet him. "How is she doing?" She got right to the point and the doctor took a deep breath before he spoke. Everyone's attention was now on him.

"She lost a lot of blood. We were able to remove the bullet, but it was pretty close. If the bullet was a little more to the left, there is a chance we would have lost her. She's stable right now, but I'm afraid she has slipped into a coma. We have high hopes that she will awaken. It could take days or maybe weeks, it's really too soon to tell. I've done all I can for her, it's up to Buffy now." He explained and Joyce placed her hand over her heart as she felt tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe that her baby was in a coma. Giles put his arm around the distraught woman.

"Thank you, doctor." He said because he didn't think Joyce was up for anymore talking. The doctor gave him a nod and was about to walk away, when a quiet voice stopped him.

"Can we see her?" He turned to look at the blonde man that spoke and realized that he was the one that came into the hospital with the young woman. He nodded as he looked at all of the pained faces around him.

"Yes, of course. I'm only allowed to let at least two people in at once, but you all may see her. She's in room 730." He stated and gave them all a small smile before he walked away. No one knew what to say next and Giles looked at Spike.

"William, could you go with Joyce? You two should be first." Spike looked at his father when he spoke and nodded. He then stood up and went over to Joyce. He could see that she was trying hard not to cry and he felt the same way. He only took her hand and they both headed to Buffy's room.

* * *

Joyce couldn't stop the tears from falling now as she saw her daughter lying so still in the hospital bed. She went over to her side and sat down in the chair next to the bed. She grabbed Buffy's hand and looked at her pale face. She has never looked so lifeless before and it terrified Joyce. Spike just stood there as he watched Joyce talk to Buffy. He didn't know what else to do. He could hardly even look at her without getting choked up. Buffy was always so full of life and he couldn't stand seeing her like that. "You'll come back to all of us, sweetie. You're my brave girl." Joyce finished as she let Buffy's hand go and stood up. She walked over to Spike and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'll let you talk to her." She told him as she looked at her daughter one more time. She then walked out of the room and Spike was left alone. He took a deep breath and walked over to Buffy, sitting in the seat that Joyce was just in. He did the same thing and grabbed Buffy's hand. He placed a kiss on her knuckles and looked at her. He tried to keep his tears in, but he was fighting a losing battle. 

"I'm so sorry, Buffy. This is all my fault." He said in a hoarse voice as he gave her hand a squeeze. "If we just went inside when you wanted to, this wouldn't have happened." He tried to control himself to say what he had to. "Your mum is right, love. You're very brave and I know you'll come back to us. You have to because I don't know what I'll do without you. It should have been me. I should be the one lying here right now, not you. You're such an amazing person, you don't deserve this. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know." The tears were blurring his vision now and he didn't care to wipe them away. "You'll come back to me and when you do, I'm never going to let you out of my sight again. You'll start to get sick of me." He said with a small smile. "All you have to do is open those pretty eyes of yours, baby. I know you can do it." There was still no response from her and Spike didn't know what else he could say. All he could do was pray that she would come back to him.

* * *

It was really late and everyone already came in to see Buffy, most of them went home by now. Spike was still by her side and it didn't look like he would be leaving anytime soon. Giles placed his hand on Spike's shoulder and he looked up at him. "I will be taking Joyce and the girls home now. You should come with us, son. You need your rest." Spike shook his head and moved his eyes back on Buffy. 

"I'm not leaving." Giles let out a sigh and tried to reason with the young man.

"William, it's not healthy for you to be here all night. There's nothing more you can do right now. You need to come home." Spike just shook his head again and Giles wasn't even sure if he heard him, until he looked back at him with a more determined expression on his face.

"I'm not leaving her." Giles figured there was nothing more he could say, so he only nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning then. Please, try and get some rest." Spike nodded and was glad that Giles wouldn't argue with him anymore. Buffy was in the hospital because of him, there was no way he was going to leave her now. He was going to be there when she woke up.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

It was days later and there was still no sign of Buffy waking up. Spike remained by her side and would hardly ever leave the hospital room. Giles finally talked him into getting something to eat and agreed to stay with Buffy. Spike didn't feel like arguing, so he placed a kiss on Buffy's forehead and then went to get something from one of the vending machines. He put his money into the machine and waited for the bag of chips to fall out, but nothing seemed to be happening. He let out a sigh and couldn't even seem to care, when he heard a voice behind him. "You need to give it a kick." He turned around to see an unfamiliar boy standing there. He was probably a few years younger than Spike. "This one gets stuck a lot, but that should do the trick." Spike nodded and took the kid's advice. He gave the machine a kick and the bag of chips finally fell out. Spike took it and gave the boy a grateful smile.

"Thanks," he said and the boy nodded as he noticed how tired Spike looked.

"I'm Matthew, have you been here for a while?" He wondered and Spike nodded as he rubbed his eyes.

"Feels like it's been a lifetime. My name's Spike." He replied as they shook hands.

"Cool name, your parents punk rockers or something?" Spike laughed for the first time in what felt like forever.

"It's just a nickname. So, you here visiting someone?" Matthew shook his head.

"No, I'm a patient here. I have leukemia, just getting some tests done." He said like it was no big deal.

"Sorry about that, mate. I didn't realize." Spike explained and Matthew shrugged off his concern.

"No problem, I'm used to it. Why are you here? You look like you haven't slept in a hundred years." Spike sighed again and decided that he needed to talk about it.

"My girlfriend was brought in about a week ago. She…She had an accident." He said and realized that maybe he wasn't quite ready to go into the details.

"Sorry, that has to suck. I hope she'll be okay." Matthew stated and Spike silently agreed. "This place isn't so bad. It's practically my second home. The doctors are really great here. She's in good hands." Spike smiled now and was really trying to believe that, but he wouldn't be convinced until Buffy woke up.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. I should probably be getting back to her room now." Matthew nodded and figured that he should do the same. His parents would wonder what was taking him so long.

"It was nice to meet you. I hope everything works out." He said and Spike nodded also.

"Yeah, same to you." Spike watched the boy walk away and started to feel a little better.

* * *

Spike noticed his father talking to the doctor when he walked back to Buffy's room. He then noticed that someone was standing in the doorway of her room. He didn't know who it was, until he got closer to the room and realization came to him. It was the man that shot Buffy outside of the Bronze. He would recognize that face anywhere. "Son of a bitch." He said to himself and then all he saw was red. This was the man that put Buffy into the hospital and he had the nerve to show his face around her. Spike didn't even care where he was at the moment. He only knew that the bloke had to pay for what he did. "You bloody bastard!" Spike yelled out loud this time and the man turned around to look at him. His eyes grew big when he recognized Spike. He then held up his hands in surrender. 

"I just wanted to see how she was doing. I know I have no right to, but I feel really bad about what happened. I never meant to hurt anyone." Spike could have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Oh, you feel bad? Do you think that's just going to make everything better? That girl is a bloody angel. She's the best person in this whole world and she's lying in a coma right now because of you. Because you got greedy and picked the wrong two people to try and rob. You see, you made one very big mistake with that." The man gulped and waited for what Spike had to say next. Spike got closer to him and knew that he wouldn't be able to control his anger for much longer. "You didn't shoot me instead." He finished in a harsh tone and then punched the man in the face. He went down and Spike didn't even wait for him to get back up. He grabbed him by his shirt and started to rein punches on him. "I'm going to kill you! You should die for what you did to her!" The man tried to shield his face from the hits, but it was no use. Spike then felt someone pull him away and he kept struggling. "I'll bloody kill you!" He continued to yell and Spike then heard a familiar voice in his ear.

"William, calm down. I know you're upset, but this isn't the answer." He heard Giles tell him and he still tried to get free.

"He's the one that shot her. I can't let him get away with it." Spike said after he calmed down a little. Giles nodded and noticed the doctor help the man up off of the floor. He then notified the police that were already in the building. They came and took the man away and Giles was still trying to comfort his son. Spike broke down after that and tears fell freely down his face. Giles held him and Spike cried in his chest like he sometimes would when he was a child.

"It'll be alright, son." Giles said a few times and hoped that Spike was listening. He has never seen his son so broken before and it was really starting to worry him. Staying at the hospital was slowly making him crazy and Giles tried to convince Spike to go home and get some real rest. That he would be no help to Buffy in this condition. Spike was beyond tired at this point and finally agreed. Giles took him home because he figured Spike was in no position to drive himself. He remained silent the whole drive there and went right to his room when they finally got to the house. He couldn't even bring himself to look over at Buffy's house because it was too painful. He closed his blinds and lay down on his bed. The view outside his window was of Buffy's room and he couldn't even look at that right now. It wasn't the same without seeing her in there. He finally closed his eyes and got some much needed rest, with dreams of his golden goddess in his head.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

"I'm very worried about my son. He hasn't been sleeping well and he's hardly eating. He doesn't even care to talk to me." Giles said and Joyce gave his hand a comforting squeeze. They decided to talk at her house because they didn't want Spike to overhear them.

"Things will get better, Rupert. We have to believe that. My baby will wake up and William will go back to being the same person he always was. He just loves her very much. This is hard for all of us." Joyce explained and Giles nodded in understanding.

"I just wish there was more I could do. I have never seen him like this before. I don't know what he would have done to that man if I wasn't there." Giles placed his head in his hands and Joyce rubbed his shoulders, both of them thinking about their children.

* * *

"So, what's going on down there?" Harmony asked Dawn once she came back upstairs from eavesdropping on the adults. 

"Just Giles being concerned for Spike. I'm kinda concerned for him, too. He's not doing so well. We all miss Buffy and hope that she gets better, but he's taking it harder than anyone else. We should go talk to him." Dawn said and Harmony didn't like that plan.

"I doubt he'll listen to us. He won't even talk to anyone right now. He would probably just bite our heads off if we went over there. I don't wanna deal with a pissed off Spike." Dawn sighed and sat down on her sister's bed.

"He's not really pissed off; I think he's just sad. He needs a friend right now." Harmony agreed and they both remained silent after that. Dawn's eyes lit up when she finally got an idea. "I know just the person that can help him." Harmony was curious as Dawn went to the phone and dialed a familiar number. Dawn really hoped she would be able to help Spike.

* * *

Spike was just lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling, when someone then barged into his room. He didn't even bother to look and see who it was. "You're being really pathetic. I want you to get out of bed." Spike sighed when he recognized Faith and still didn't care to move. She had enough and grabbed his arm, pulling him off of the bed. He pulled his arm out of her grasp and glared at her. 

"What do you want?" He grumbled and Faith rolled her eyes.

"I want you to stop acting like this. Dawn called me because she was worried about you. You're not looking so hot right now. You need to get out of this room and get some fresh air. Eating something would do you some good also." Spike turned away from her.

"Sod off," he mumbled and Faith grew even angrier. She grabbed his arm harder and turned him back around.

"You're better than this, Spike. Sitting in your room and feeling sorry for yourself is not gonna make things better; it's not going to help Buffy." Spike gave her a hard stare, but didn't say anything. "She needs you right now. She needs you to be strong. How would you feel when she wakes up and sees you like this? Knowing that you've been cutting yourself off from everyone and not even eating? That would only upset her and I know you don't want that. She is going to pull through, but she can't do it alone. She needs you now more than ever, Spike." Faith finished and Spike's expression softened, tears forming in his eyes.

"I don't know what to do." He said in a soft tone and Faith was pleased that she got through to him.

"I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you what might help. You should go for a walk or something, clear your head. You just need to get out of this house. And if you don't, I will personally kick your ass. You're driving everyone crazy." Spike graced her with a small smile and she was relieved to see it. He then gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you." He whispered and she held him tighter.

"I love you, too." They then pulled out of the hug and she gave him a pat on the back. "Now, get out of here." He nodded as he headed downstairs and out of the house. He decided to go back to the hospital and see how Buffy was doing. He has been avoiding it for a few days now because he was afraid of what he would find out, but he couldn't go any longer without seeing her.

* * *

Spike finally made it to the hospital a few minutes later and headed right for her room. He took a deep breath before he walked inside and noticed that nothing seemed to change. She looked the same as the last time he saw her. He sat by her bed and realized that she had a little more color in her cheeks. He took that as a good sign and grabbed her hand in his. "Hey, baby. Sorry I haven't been by lately, things have been crazy. I'm here now and I promise I won't leave your side again." Spike talked to her about everything that has been going on with him and the others, not leaving anything out. He didn't care if she would be disappointed in him when she woke up; she had a right to know how he spent the last week. 

"Is that her?" He stopped at the sound of a voice coming from the doorway and smiled when he saw the same boy that he met before.

"Yeah, this is my girl. It's Matthew, right?" He nodded and walked further into the room.

"She's really pretty." He said and Spike agreed.

"Bloody gorgeous is more like it. How've you been, kid?" Matthew shrugged and sat down in another chair that was in the room.

"I feel fine, some days are better than others. How is she doing?" Spike sighed and turned his gaze back on Buffy.

"She looks a little better, but she still hasn't woken up. I don't know what else to do." He said in a defeated tone, finally realizing that he couldn't do anything for Buffy.

"You're doing all you can. Just being here and talking to her is enough. She can hear everything you're saying." Matthew told him and Spike raised his eyebrows.

"How do you know that?" He wondered and Matthew shrugged again.

"I know about coma victims. I had an accident when I was younger and was put in one for about a month. They need something to keep them on this plane, so they don't drift off completely into their mind. She can hear you and knowing that you're here will help her to wake up. She won't drift away if you keep talking to her and try to keep her here. She'll do whatever she can to come back to you." Spike nodded and realized that this kid was pretty smart. It was just sad because it seemed like he hasn't had the best life.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Matthew nodded also and then stood up.

"I should get back now. I wasn't even supposed to leave my room, but I hate being cooped up in one place for too long." He said and Spike could definitely understand that. "Take care of yourself, Spike. I know she'll be okay, it's not her time yet." Matthew was about to walk away, when Spike spoke again.

"What about you?" He said and Matthew looked back at him.

"I think my time is about to run out. There's not much else they can do for me, but I'm not afraid to die. I would miss my parents and everything, but I know I'll be going to a better place. As long as I keep thinking about that, it's not so scary." Spike gave a sad smile and really felt for him. He was very brave for someone so young. Matthew then walked out of the room and Spike was left with his thoughts as he looked at Buffy. He was now more determined than ever that she would wake up.

"I know you can hear me, love. I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you decide that it's time to come back. I love you so much, Buffy. It's important that you always believe that." He didn't know what else to say and just raised her hand to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. He then looked to see if he got any reaction from her. He sighed when nothing changed and was about to let her hand go, when he suddenly felt her fingers squeeze him. Spike was so surprised by that and then looked at her face again. He was even more surprised to see a pair of beautiful, green eyes staring back at him.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"Buffy? God, Buffy." Spike said in awe as he hugged the young woman to his chest, tears falling down his face. "You're awake." He whispered and he pulled away after a few seconds. He had to be sure that she was really back with him. He caressed her cheek and she looked really confused.

"Where am I?" She wondered in a hoarse voice.

"You were shot, baby. You're in the hospital. You've been asleep for the last two weeks, but you're back now." He told her and she gave him a small smile.

"I heard you calling." She responded in that soft voice again and Spike was grateful that she did hear him. "You were hurting." She said and he nodded as he looked down. She then grasped his hand in hers and he looked back at her face. "It's going to be okay now." Spike hugged her again and placed kisses all over her face. He never wanted to let her go.

"I'm so sorry." He told her and she shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault, Spike. I don't want you to blame yourself, I don't." Spike nodded again and pulled away to look at her. It would be hard for him not to blame himself, but he felt better knowing that she didn't.

* * *

Everyone was fussing over Buffy later that night. Spike called to let them know that Buffy was awake and they all immediately rushed over to the hospital. The doctor had to usher them all out of the room after a while, so Buffy could get some rest. Spike was the only one that remained with her. The doctor didn't even bother to ask him to leave. He was lying next to her in the small bed and she had her head rested against his chest. He just finished telling her a story and the soothing tone of his voice put her to sleep easily. Spike looked down at his sleeping angel and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He soon followed her in slumber.

* * *

Buffy was released from the hospital two days later and Spike was pushing her in the wheelchair. "I don't even know why I need this. I'm perfectly capable of walking." Spike shook his head as a smile formed on his face. God, he missed her. 

"It's hospital orders, love. I'm sure you can walk fine on your own. I tried to talk them into letting me carry you, but they wouldn't have it. You won't need the chair once I get you home. I can carry you around everywhere if you like." Buffy laughed and it was music to his ears.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I can walk." Spike shrugged even though she couldn't see him.

"Suit yourself, but you're not stopping me from carrying you up the stairs. Don't want to risk you falling." He said and Buffy didn't even argue as they finally reached his car. He helped her in and then folded up the chair, putting it in the back of the car. He then got in on his side and was soon headed for home.

* * *

"Welcome back!" Everyone yelled once Buffy and Spike walked into her house. She smiled at the fact that everyone she loved was there. She hugged her mother first and then everyone else. She smiled at Spike after she made all of her greetings and he smiled in return. It was really great to be home.

* * *

Spike headed back to the hospital a few days later. He had someone that he needed to see. He went to the desk in the lobby and waited for the woman sitting there to notice him. She finally looked up and gave him a smile. "Can I help you?" She asked him and he gave her a friendly smile also. 

"I'm looking for someone. His name is Matthew, not really sure of a last name. He's a cancer patient here; I wanted to know what room he was in." The woman looked at her chart and then looked back up at him. She now had a sad expression on her face.

"You're probably talking about Matthew Hayes, were you a friend of his?" Spike nodded and figured that he was.

"I only met him a few times. He gave me some advice recently and I just wanted to thank him for it." Spike explained and the woman took a breath before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry to say this, but Matthew passed away last night." Spike was now saddened by this news. He knew that Matthew probably didn't have long by the way he was talking, but he didn't realize that it would have been so soon. He only nodded and gave the woman a small smile.

"Thank you," he told her. He was about to walk away, when her voice stopped him.

"Matthew's parents are having a memorial service for him tomorrow afternoon in Restfield Cemetery. I just thought you would like to know." She said and Spike nodded again.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you again." He said as he walked away and headed out of the hospital. He decided that he would pay his respects, it was the least he could do.

* * *

Spike walked to the cemetery the next day, Buffy right by his side. He told her about Matthew and she decided to go with him. They were standing in the back as the people that loved Matthew placed flowers on his casket. Spike noticed an older couple crying, the man holding the woman close to him. Spike had a feeling they were his parents. He looked at Buffy and she nodded as he walked over to the couple. He placed his own flowers on the casket that he picked up earlier and then turned to address Matthew's parents. "Excuse me; are you Mr. and Mrs. Hayes?" He asked and they looked up at him. 

"Yes, we are. Did you know our boy?" Mr. Hayes said and Spike nodded.

"I met him at the hospital when I was visiting someone close to me. He helped me realize a few things and I was very grateful for that. He was very brave. I know that he loved you both very much." Mrs. Hayes cried even harder now and her husband rubbed her shoulders.

"Thank you, son." He said and Spike nodded as he watched them both walk away. Buffy joined him and grabbed his hand. They stood there in silence, until Buffy spoke up.

"I wish I could have met him." She said and in a way, she felt that she did know him. Spike gripped her hand tighter.

"He was a great kid. Too young to die, but I know he's in a better place." Buffy wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Let's go home, Spike." She said and he nodded as he let her lead him out of the cemetery. He knew that Matthew was in a better place now. No matter what happened, he would never forget him.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

"Good morning, honey. How do you feel today?" Joyce asked Buffy when she came downstairs.

"I'm fine, just like I have been for the last three weeks since I got back from the hospital. Now, could you try and tell him that?" Joyce smiled and shook her head.

"Having problems?" Buffy sighed and sat down at the counter.

"I love Spike to death, but I'm going to kill him. He's driving me insane. He wants to come with me everywhere; you don't know how hard it was to talk him into not coming to school with me. Hey, this isn't funny." Buffy said when she saw her mother laughing. "I'm serious here, mom. He talked about dropping out of college, so he could go to school with me full time." Buffy pouted and then looked at the clock on the microwave. "He should be here in about 5, 4, 3, 2…" She pointed to the back door and Spike then came strolling into the house. He smiled at them and Buffy glared at her once again laughing mother. "Yeah, I'm sure you're just loving this." Spike didn't know what they were talking about and just walked over to Buffy, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Morning, what's for breakfast?" He said and was confused when Buffy dropped her head onto the counter. She was mumbling something that he couldn't make out and he looked at Joyce. "Was it something I said?" She only smiled and went back to the pancakes that she was making.

* * *

"I've got it all worked out, love." Spike said as he followed Buffy into her room. "I can join you at school in the morning because I don't have classes until the afternoon. Then I can go to my classes and still make it back to your school before you get out." He started talking about what else he could do and Buffy just about had enough. She threw her hands up in the air. 

"Spike, you really have to stop this. I love you, but you're giving me a migraine." She said as she sat down on her bed, rubbing her head in the process. Spike was concerned and sat down next to her.

"Your head hurts? Do you need some aspirin?" Buffy groaned and looked back at him.

"I don't need aspirin. I need you to leave me alone." Spike was hurt now and Buffy felt guilty when she saw the look on his face. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. I just mean that all of this is too much. I love that you always want to be with me, but it's just not possible. I'm a big girl, Spike. I can take care of myself, been doing it way before you came into my life. I'm grateful for everything that you've done for me, but you need to give me some space here. You can't go with me to school. How would that look? My reputation is already bad enough as it is." Spike looked away from her and Buffy grabbed his hand. "I'm not trying to hurt you, sweetie. You have to realize that following me around everywhere is a little crazy. Hey, look at me." He finally raised his eyes to hers and she caressed his cheek. "I'm right here, Spike. I promise I'm not going away anytime soon. I'm not going to disappear just because you're not around. I'll always be here, okay?" She finished and Spike took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I know that. I just worry about you." Buffy nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I like that you worry, you just need to not worry so much." Spike agreed and then smiled when he thought about the way he has been acting the last few weeks.

"I guess I did get a little crazy." Buffy laughed and rolled her eyes.

"A little crazy? You've been coming over every morning to make sure that I got out of bed okay, then you picked out the clothes for me to wear that day. I would say that's more than a little crazy." Spike shrugged and didn't realize he was that bad.

"I just didn't want you to wear anything too revealing. That could lead to trouble." He told her and Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"You have seen my closet, right? I have clothes that nuns could wear. There's hardly anything revealing. You wanna find something slutty, look in Harmony's closet. I only wore that outfit that she loaned me once. I gave it right back and I'm never touching her clothes again." Spike smiled and put his arm around her.

"It did look pretty good on you, but you could wear a garbage bag and still be the most gorgeous woman ever." Buffy blushed at his comment and Spike loved that he still had that effect on her. "Well, I best be off now." He stated as he stood up.

"You're leaving already?" She said and Spike smiled at her.

"I wouldn't want to crowd you. I might see you later today, or maybe I won't. I happen to be pretty busy." He told her with a wink before leaving her room. She glared at his back and then a smile formed on her face. He was truly evil sometimes.

* * *

Buffy was moping downstairs later that day. She was bored out of her mind. "I didn't think he would actually take me this seriously. I just didn't want him to come to school with me. He could have stayed here a little longer." Dawn rolled her eyes and was trying to watch a movie, but Buffy's sulking was starting to get to her. 

"You could just go next door." She said and her gaze didn't even leave the television.

"Right, I'm so not giving in. He'll be back eventually." She tried to convince herself and Dawn nodded as she continued to watch the movie. Buffy couldn't get into it and she had enough about an hour later. "This is ridiculous. I'm just gonna go over there." She said as she stood up and headed to the front door. She opened it and found Spike on the other side. He gave her a smile.

"You wanna get out of the house for a bit?" He asked her and she smiled back at him.

"God, yes." She said as she grabbed her jacket and walked out of the house with him. Dawn rolled her eyes again as she watched her sister walk away with her boyfriend.

"I must be the only normal one in this family." She said to herself as she went back to her movie, happy to finally have some alone time.


	38. Chapter 38

I just wanted to say that some time has passed since the last chapter. I had to get things moving. We're almost to the end anyway. Yeah, I think it's finally time that I ended this story. I know it's very sad, but I think I've done everything I needed to. It lasted a lot longer than I thought it would and I'm pretty proud that I managed to write one this long. I don't know when I would be able to put the next chapter in. It hasn't been written yet because I'm not sure what to do, but I'll try not to have you guys wait too long. I hope you like the chapter!

**Chapter 38**

"Why did I have to wear a tux? This bloody thing itches." Spike said and Giles rolled his eyes for the millionth time.

"Would you quit complaining?" Giles retorted and Spike was about to say something else, when Buffy's name was finally called. Everyone cheered as she walked on stage and took her diploma. Spike stood up and whistled. She smiled as she waved at them, then she blew Spike a kiss and walked off of the stage. He smiled and sat back down. They were at Buffy's high school graduation and she couldn't be happier about that. She didn't have the best memories at that school and she hoped her college experience would be a better one. She would be going to UC Sunnydale and Spike was in his junior year there. Dawn just finished her junior year of high school and she couldn't wait until she was a senior. Harmony realized that college wasn't for her and she moved to Los Angeles after her graduation. She was hoping to become an actress. Riley chose to go to school there, so he could be closer to her. Buffy smiled again when she saw her family and friends waiting for her after the ceremony.

"I finally did it. Okay, someone hug me." She said and Spike was the first one to step up and wrap his arms around her. She laughed as he lifted her off of the ground a little.

"Congratulations, love." He told her and everyone else hugged her after that. Joyce had tears in her eyes when she hugged Buffy.

"I'm so proud of you, honey. I know you're going to do great things." She said and Buffy started to feel tears in her eyes also.

"I love you, mom." She replied and Joyce kissed her cheek as she pulled out of the hug.

"I love you, too. Come on, we have a party to get to back home." Joyce said and Spike walked with Buffy, holding her hand in his.

"So, how does it feel to finally be a high school graduate?" He asked her and she gave him a big smile.

"It feels pretty damn good." She stated as she gave his hand a squeeze. "That suit looks sexy on you. Keep it for when we're alone, I wanna be the one to take it off." She told him with a smirk that would have done him proud.

"Vixen," he responded as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He then put his arm around her and they continued the walk to his car.

* * *

"Bloody hell, I don't think I can move my legs." Spike panted and looked at Buffy lying next to him. They were staying at a hotel for the night because they wanted to be alone. "You may have crippled me, love." Buffy laughed and kissed his chest. 

"I think you'll be fine. There's plenty more where that came from." She told him in a seductive tone and Spike didn't think he would ever get used to this side of her, but he loved every second of it.

"You're going to bloody kill me here." She moved back onto his chest and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Yeah, but what a way to go." He grabbed her tighter and gave her a more passionate kiss. He then softened the kiss and started to trail his lips down her neck. He sucked and licked at the smooth flesh that he found there. He would never get enough of her. "God, Spike." Buffy moaned and it just turned him on more. He had a feeling they wouldn't be leaving the bed anytime soon.

* * *

Buffy and Spike left the hotel room the next morning and were ready to check out. Buffy stopped when she heard laughter a few doors down and knew that she recognized who it belonged to. She pulled Spike over to see if she was right and couldn't believe the sight in front of her. "Dawn?" She said in shock and Dawn stopped kissing her boyfriend when she was spotted. 

"Buffy, I didn't know you would be here." Buffy looked at Dawn and then Connor, who was trying to avoid her gaze. It looked like he was about to leave and Dawn was only wearing a sheet around her. It was obvious what they were doing and Buffy didn't know what to think about that.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy said and Dawn took a deep breath.

"I told mom that I was staying with a friend tonight and then I met Connor here. It wasn't planned or anything, it just kinda happened." Spike figured that he should let the sisters talk, so he grabbed Connor by the arm and pulled him away.

"I want a word with you." He told the boy, who now looked afraid. Spike smiled at that and Buffy turned back to Dawn once they were gone.

"Get dressed; I can't talk to you like that." Dawn nodded and then walked back in the room. She came out a few minutes later fully clothed and they decided to go for a walk. "You shouldn't have lied to mom." Buffy said to break the silence. "It's just hard for me to believe that my little sister came to a hotel to have sex. I never would have expected this from you." Dawn rolled her eyes and figured she would get a lecture.

"I told you it wasn't planned. We both decided that we were ready. I mean, you're really one to talk. You lost your virginity when you were younger than me and Harmony was way younger than that. I don't think I did anything wrong. We both knew what we were doing." Buffy nodded and tried to stay calm as she asked her next question.

"Were you safe?" Dawn stopped walking to look at her.

"Of course we were, I'm not stupid. And Connor is clean before you say anything. He hasn't been with anyone before me. We love each other, Buffy. I was ready and couldn't imagine my first time being with anyone else. I think it's amazing that Connor would wait for me. He never pressured me or anything. I know he can get on everyone's nerves sometimes, but he's a really good guy. He was so gentle with me and I don't think I've ever felt so loved before. It's kinda like what you have with Spike, except not as kinky. I'm sure you guys are hardly gentle at this point." Dawn laughed as Buffy shoved her.

"Hey, we are plenty gentle." Dawn nodded and then smiled when she noticed something.

"Right, would that happen to be handcuffs in your pocket?" Buffy's face grew red now as she looked away from Dawn.

"Okay, shut up." She mumbled and they started to walk again.

"I don't even wanna know. If you keep this a secret from mom, I won't tell her about that little detail." Dawn said and Buffy glared at her.

"Fine, I won't say anything. You're so evil." Dawn gave her a big smile now.

"I know, that's what makes me special." Buffy smiled also and put her arm around Dawn.

"One of the many things." She said as they both went to look for their boyfriends.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

"Spike, what did you say to him? Connor has never been that quiet before." Dawn said as the three of them were headed for home.

"I didn't say anything." He told her and Dawn wasn't convinced.

"You threatened him, didn't you?" She said and Buffy was trying not to laugh as she listened to them.

"I was only looking out for you, bit. We had a nice conversation and I told him that they would be finding his body for weeks if he ever hurt you." He stated and Dawn's eyes grew big.

"Spike!" She yelled in a high pitched voice that would have made anyone's ears bleed. "Tell me you didn't say that. You probably scared him away." Spike laughed and looked at a grinning Buffy.

"Your sister is too bloody easy." Buffy nodded in agreement and Dawn crossed her arms over her chest. She figured she wouldn't get anything else out of him.

* * *

_2 months later..._

"Are you sure?" Willow asked Buffy when they were both alone in her room.

"Yeah, I've known for a week now. I couldn't keep it a secret anymore." Buffy sat on her bed and Willow sat beside her.

"When are you going to tell Spike?" Willow wondered and Buffy shrugged.

"I don't know. At first I didn't want to tell him until I knew for sure. I know I have to tell him, I'm just not sure how to do that. He's going to freak and it might not be in a good way." She explained and Willow wouldn't believe that.

"I think he'll be fine, Buffy. You already know it's something that he wants. I know it's kinda soon, but I think it'll work out." Buffy gave Willow a smile and really hoped she was right.

* * *

"We really need to talk." Buffy said and Spike had a worried expression on his face. 

"Nothing good ever starts with that sentence." Buffy grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Well, I hope you would think it's good." She took a deep breath before she told him the rest. "Spike, I'm pregnant." Buffy expected him to be shocked, but she wasn't prepared for the laughter.

"Very funny, Buffy. I'm not going to fall for that again. What did you really want to say?" He noticed that she wasn't laughing and the smile quickly faded from his face. "You're serious?" He asked to be sure and Buffy nodded.

"I found out last week. I didn't know how to tell you. I have to say that wasn't how I expected you to react." She said as she turned away from him. She had no idea that he would think she was kidding. She only really did that once before. Spike realized that he probably should have handled it better and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"We're going to have a baby?" He said after a minute of silence and Buffy nodded again. She was again taken by surprise when he yelled and lifted her off of the ground. "I'm going to be a father." He said and she laughed at his excitement. He put her down and planted a firm kiss on her mouth.

"So, I take it you're okay with this?" Spike couldn't keep the smile off of his face now.

"Of course I'm okay with this. I'm sorry for how I reacted. I just never expected this to happen. Are you okay with it?" He needed to make sure that it was also something she wanted. She would be the one carrying the child after all.

"Yeah, I am. It's not something I planned on happening right now, but it's something that I really want." Spike hugged her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"You have made me the happiest bloke in the world, you know that?" She nodded against his chest. She then looked up at him and he wondered why she looked so worried, but he didn't have to wonder for long.

"How are we going to tell our parents? My mom might disown me and I can already picture Giles cleaning his glasses enough to break the lens. I have a feeling they won't be as happy about this." Spike hugged her again and ran his fingers through her hair.

"It'll all work out, love. They'll be surprised at first, but they'll come around in the end. Your mum would never disown you." Buffy knew that he was right and really wished she could have his confidence. She hoped her mother would take it well.

* * *

"Buffy, are you alright? You haven't said anything since we talked to our parents; I'm starting to get worried here." Spike said and Buffy finally came back to reality at the sound of his voice. 

"My mother was abducted. That's the only thing that could explain what just happened. That was not my mother." Spike laughed and shook his head at her imagination.

"I have a feeling that was really her." He told her and Buffy was having a hard time believing it.

"She didn't yell or tell me how irresponsible I am for getting pregnant at a young age. She just accepted it and said congratulations. I didn't even see Giles clean his glasses or clear his throat once. I'm telling you, they can't be our parents." Spike wrapped his arms around her.

"I think they just finally realized that we're not little kids anymore. I told you everything would work out." Buffy nodded and raised her head to give him a kiss.

"I love you." She said and Spike smiled as he returned her kiss.

"I love you, too. You and the little one. I'll always be here for the both of you." He claimed as he touched her stomach, still finding it hard to believe that his baby was growing inside of her. He was definitely the luckiest man in the world. Buffy placed her hand over his and thought about everything that has changed in her life. She never imagined that anything amazing could ever happen to her. Buffy already decided that she would name the baby Matthew if it was a boy. She had a feeling Spike would appreciate that.

**The End**

Well, we have finally reached the end. I wanted at least one more chapter, but that didn't really work out. I just didn't have anymore ideas for this. Thanks for all of the feedback for this story; I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. It had a mind of its own because none of this was planned when I started writing it. Things just came to me as I typed. It's sad to say that this is my last story. I may write again if I get anymore ideas, but right now I'm drawing a blank. I might write a few more one shots though, but I don't know for sure yet. Thanks again, you guys are great!


	40. Epilogue

Well, I'm back with an epilogue for this story. I finally thought of a little something to add to it for those that wanted more. I decided to just do an epilogue instead of making it a sequel since it's really only one chapter. I will warn you that this is incredibly fluffy. It is just some Valentine's Day goodness. I was gonna put it in on Monday, but I got a bit impatient and decided to post it now. Also, my writing is a bit different now. Thanks to Holly4 for helping me out. Everyone should check out her stories, they're amazing. Anyway, I hope you guys like this and haven't completely forgotten about the story already. Any comments would really be appreciated!

**Epilogue**

"So, do you think she'll like it?"

Xander looked over the diamond ring that his friend held. "It's nice, I'm surprised you're finally gonna ask Buffy to marry you."

Spike put the ring back in his pocket. "I wanted to wait for the right time."

"And you think the right time is when she's almost nine months pregnant?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I don't need a lecture from you, Harris. Everyone has been pestering me about proposing to Buffy after she got pregnant, but I figured dealing with a wedding on top of having a baby would have been too much. So, I decided to wait. It's Valentine's Day and I think this would be the perfect time to ask her."

Xander nodded. "I guess that's a good idea. Valentine's Day is the most romantic day of the year. So I've been told. God, I hope Anya isn't expecting anything really special. All I can really afford these days is a bouquet of roses and possibly a box of her favorite chocolates."

Spike patted his friend on the back. "Good luck with that," he said and then walked out of Xander's apartment. He decided to make a stop at the nearest flower shop before returning to Buffy.

* * *

"Where's Spike?" Buffy asked and took deep breaths. 

"He should be here soon, honey. Just keep breathing," her mother said.

Buffy nodded and felt another contraction go through her. She yelled and squeezed the hand that she was holding tighter.

Dawn looked out the window. "Spike just pulled up," she told them.

"Thank god, he should be the one doing this. I think she broke my hand." Connor complained and winced as Buffy squeezed his hand again.

They just ignored him.

"All right, it's time to go to the hospital." Joyce said and helped Buffy up.

Spike then ran into the room after hearing Buffy's screams from outside. "Is everything okay?" he wondered.

"Buffy's in labor." Dawn stated as she helped her sister.

Spike immediately went to her side.

Connor sighed in relief when Buffy let him go. "At least we're going to the hospital," he said and inspected his injured hand.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You're such a baby."

They finally managed to get Buffy downstairs and into Spike's car.

"Get her there safely, we'll follow behind soon."

Spike nodded at Joyce and then drove away.

Joyce went back inside the house. She had a few phone calls to make.

* * *

"You're doing great, love." Spike told Buffy as he held her hand in his. 

Buffy was breathing hard and didn't think she could take much more. It felt like she has been in labor for days instead of only a few hours. "It hurts too much," she commented and lay back in the bed.

Spike brought her hand to his lips and gave it a tender kiss. "You can do it, sweetheart."

"That's right, Buffy. Just give us one more push."

Buffy nodded at the doctor's words and really hoped she could do it. She pushed with all that she had in her and yelled at the intense pain. It took away a lot of her energy and she lay back in the bed when she was done, completely exhausted. The sound of her baby crying brought more tears to her eyes.

The baby was taken and cleaned off.

Spike brushed the sweaty hair out of Buffy's face. "You did it, baby," he said with tears in his eyes also.

She looked up at him. "We did it."

He gave her a smile and then placed a kiss on her forehead.

The doctor walked back over to them. "Congratulations, you have a beautiful, baby boy," he said and placed the baby into his mother's arms.

Buffy couldn't stop the tears from falling now as she gazed upon her child.

Spike looked at his family with pride. He couldn't believe that he had a son.

"Hey there, little guy. You decided to grace us with your presence a bit early." Buffy said to the baby.

"He's very special indeed. Being born on Valentine's Day."

Buffy smiled at the doctor and then looked back at Spike. "I didn't even realize that," she said.

"Well, you've been pretty busy," he replied.

Buffy nodded and looked back at the bundle in her arms.

"Have you thought about any names, love? We haven't really talked about it."

Buffy smiled again and figured it was about time that she told him her choice for a name. "I was thinking about naming him Matthew. If that's okay with you."

Spike smiled as well. "Yeah, I think that's perfect."

* * *

"Well, you should be lucky that he didn't get your nose." 

Buffy rolled her eyes at her sister's comment. "Thanks, Harmony. I really appreciate that."

"She has a cute nose." Spike replied with a glare at the blonde.

Buffy gave him a grateful smile.

They all took turns seeing the baby because only a few were allowed in the room at once.

Spike was watching over Buffy after everyone left. Matthew was taken to where all the other babies were and he was left alone with his thoughts.

Buffy finally opened her eyes after only resting for about an hour. She looked at Spike. "Hey," she said in a sleepy voice.

"Hey yourself," he responded.

"Why do you look so serious? That's never a good thing."

Spike smiled and walked over to her. "I just still can't believe that any of this has happened. You've given me everything I could ever want, but there's just one thing missing."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "I think it's a bit soon to have another kid."

Spike laughed and shook his head. "Not that I wouldn't love having another kid some day, that's not what I'm talking about."

Buffy was about to say something else, when a black box was suddenly in front of her. It revealed a beautiful, diamond ring. Buffy gasped and looked up at the serious expression on Spike's face.

He took a deep breath before he spoke again. "The baby coming early kind of put my plans on hold, but I think this just makes it even more perfect. You're my entire world, Buffy. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. Will you marry me?"

Buffy definitely wasn't expecting a proposal, but she had no doubts about what her answer would be. "Yes, I'll marry you," she replied and again had tears coming down her face.

Spike smiled and took the ring out of the box. He placed the ring on her finger and gave it a kiss. He then enveloped her in a big hug. "You've made me the happiest man on earth." He pulled away to give her a sweet kiss on the lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

He planted kisses all over her face and then buried his face in her neck. "I love you, too. So bloody much."

Buffy held him tighter.

That's how Joyce and Giles found them a few minutes later. They smiled at the display of both of their children, still not believing how grown up they were now.

Joyce was happy that her little girl finally found everything that she has ever wanted. Buffy used to be so shy and insecure about everything. She never believed that anyone could ever love her. Joyce was just relieved that her daughter found everything in Spike. She knew that he would always be there for her daughter. He was nothing like Hank. That was a very comforting thought.

Giles was just as happy for his son. William needed a good woman in his life and no one made him as happy as Buffy did. Giles knew that Jenny would be very proud of the man that he was becoming.

Both of the adults finally walked away and decided to give the new family a little privacy.

They have been through so much together, but things were bound to only get better from there. When you find the one that you're meant to spend the rest of your life with, nothing else seems to matter.

**The End**

I'm not that sure about the ending, but that's all I could think of. Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all spend it with the one's you love!


End file.
